Politico is out with a crazy story on Thursday, but which will make sense to those following the trajectory of US foreign policy over the past couple decades plus.

Senior US officials want Israel to strike Iran before Washington launches a renewed assault in order to build domestic backing for war. Advisers to President Donald Trump are "privately arguing that an Israeli attack would trigger Iran to retaliate, helping muster support from American voters for a U.S. strike," the outlet writes, citing two people familiar with the discussions.

"The calculus is a political one - that more Americans would stomach a war with Iran if the United States or an ally were attacked first," Politico continues.

The subtext here is that American troops would likely come under retaliation in whatever form such a serious escalation takes. Currently the US is drawing down troops from bases immediately in harm's way, including reportedly in Qatar and Bahrain.

Russia's control over it, whether through Ukraine's withdrawal or forcible expulsion, is considered to be the basis of the US' peace plan that the Brits and French are dangerously trying to subvert.

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported on the four-year anniversary of the special operation that the Brits and French are plotting to help Ukraine go nuclear. The alleged plan is to provide it with relevant European components and equipment that would then be misrepresented to the world as proof of a domestically developed nuclear program. They'll also give it at least one actual warhead and/or materials for a dirty bomb. The purpose is to give Ukraine an edge over Russia in the negotiations.

Zelensky recently claimed that "Both the Americans and the Russians say that if you want the war to end tomorrow, get out of Donbas", which he flat-out refuses to do, emboldened as he's been by European support led first and foremost by the Brits and French. The first are considered to be the masterminds behind various anti-Russian provocations, including false flag plots that Moscow warned about but which never materialized, while the second has been leading the charge to send NATO troops to Ukraine.

While the Iranian saga has kept the world on its toes, it has now turned from travesty-in-making to total farce. The USS Gerald R. Ford — the most expensive and 'advanced' aircraft carrier in history — has become "mired" in quite a stink — pun intended — as it was revealed that demoralized sailors are potentially sabotaging the ship by flushing items like clothing and mop heads into the ship's sewage systems, causing widespread septic blockages — a kind of "color revolution of the seas" (color mutiny?), with the color being brown.

Now Trump's initiative is collapsing before his sallow eyes amidst internal revolts as staff leak all kinds of damaging bulletins to the press. The latest from the Pentagon stovepipe is that the US only has munitions for days of a sustained high-intensity conflict with Iran, a fact we've known all along.

Despite the U.S. military buildup near Iran, two U.S. military officials said the Pentagon lacks the forces and munitions needed for a prolonged bombing campaign.

One official estimated that current U.S. forces in the region could sustain strikes for only 7 to 10 days, limiting the feasibility of an extended military operation.

Source: NYT

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Wednesday again accused Ukraine of plotting to sabotage Hungary's energy infrastructure, following a Ukrainian drone attack on a key Transneft oil pumping station in the Russian republic of Tatarstan early Monday, which was further detrimental to the Druzhba oil pipeline.

But Orban has now upped the ante, sending a powerful message to Ukraine and its EU backers, having newly ordered troops to protect key energy sites. He has also been denouncing "blackmail" over Hungary's Russian energy purchases and dependency, vowing "we will not give in".

"I have heard the briefings of the national security services and see that Ukraine is preparing further actions aimed at disrupting the operation of Hungary's energy system," Orbán stated in a video posted on X.

For the second time in less than a year, the US again finds itself on the brink of war with Iran.

Trump has consistently used tough language throughout his second term as he's sought to pressure the Iranian regime into abandoning its military and civilian nuclear programs. But in recent weeks, that rhetoric has been backed by a substantial buildup of military assets at bases in neighboring allied countries and in the waters around Iran.

And while negotiations are ongoing and both sides have hinted that there is potential for an agreement, there are several reasons to be concerned that another round of violence could break out at any moment.

First is the fact that the core demands of both sides remain completely incompatible. A final deal would require one side to make drastic concessions, and there's no reason to think either is close to doing so.

The second is the sheer size and cost of this military buildup. Two aircraft carrier strike groups are now in the region — one in the eastern Mediterranean, the other just outside the Gulf of Oman. Dozens of American fighter planes, refueling tankers, and — most notably of all — E-3 Sentry command and control planes have also been transferred to nearby airbases. All in all, there are more than 40,000 American troops in the region. The US has never built up a military force like this and not used it.

The arrest of former Prince Andrew and Lord Peter Mandelson have plunged Britain into its gravest institutional crisis in decades. Linked to abuse and alleged misconduct and espionage tied to the Epstein network, the case raises disturbing questions about blackmail, intelligence networks, and elite impunity. What is unfolding in Britain may foreshadow a broader Western reckoning.

The United Kingdom is facing a political earthquake, possibly foreshadowing a systemic crisis across the West: former Prince Andrew, the Duke of York (who is the brother of King Charles), was formally arrested last week as part of a widening legal fallout linked to the newly released Jeffrey Epstein files. Only three days later, Lord Peter Mandelson, also known as Baron Mandelson, was arrested too. Mandelson is a top political figure and a lobbyist, as well as a former UK Ambassador to the US and former European Commissioner for Trade.

Both aristocrats were not briefly arrested on suspicion of abusing the minors Epstein trafficked: treason would be a closer description, or "misconduct" in public office linked to the Epstein ring. In Andrew's case, the British authorities are investigating whether, while serving as the UK's trade envoy, he passed confidential information to Epstein or his network - perhaps under threat of blackmail due to the compromising pictures the billionaire had on him. This reinforces long-standing suspicions pertaining to an espionage angle in Epstein's operation, the obvious question being to which State or organization Epstein was forwarding the info. Both the Duke and the Baron have been released and are still under investigation. It is worth noting that Mandelson, coincidentally, has long been rumored (at the time, without proof) of having connections with pedophile links, a problem that has plagued the British political elite for decades.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kiev this week empty-handed, and she was pissed. She had been planning to mark the fourth anniversary of the Ukraine war on February 24 with a new €90 billion loan to prop up the corrupt Kiev regime.

At the last minute, Hungary announced that it was vetoing the "Ukraine Support Loan." So, von der Leyen, the former German defense minister and arch Russophobe, had nothing to show the puppet regime. The big anniversary occasion was an embarrassing flop. Hungary was accused of "betraying" European solidarity.

Putting a brave face on the debacle, von der Leyen made a promise, with menacing tone, about delivering the €90 bn "one way or another." She said: "Let me be clear, we have different options, and we will use them."

Those options would seem to include inciting regime change in Budapest. Hungary is going to the polls on April 12 for parliamentary elections. It is no secret that the European Union leadership would dearly like to see incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán being turned out of office, and replaced by Péter Magyar, of the opposition Tisza party, who is more amenable to Brussels' policy of supporting the Kiev regime in the proxy war against Russia.

Orbán's government vetoed the €90 bn loan - 60 per cent of which is for military aid - because it accuses the Kiev regime of blocking vital oil supplies to Hungary. Slovakia has also joined Budapest in making the accusation. Both countries claim that Ukraine is using energy "blackmail" simply because they refuse to discontinue buying oil supplies from Russia, and because they are opposed to the ongoing war.

On January 27, Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia transiting Ukraine via the Drushba pipeline were suddenly stopped. The Kiev regime claims that the pipe was hit by a Russian drone.

However, Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has bluntly accused Ukraine of lying. He disputes that a Russian attack on the infrastructure even took place. It doesn't make sense that Russia would harm its customers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived on a two-day visit to Israel on Wednesday amid protests over allegations of genocide in Gaza.

Modi is slated to deliver a speech in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.

Netanyahu is keen to bring Modi and India into a proposed 'Hexagon of Alliances', a strategic pet initiative of the Israeli leader aimed at targeting what he terms as radical adversaries.

Modi himself has championed causes close to opponents of radical schools of thought, but may not play ball on Netanyahu's outreach, as it could pose difficult geopolitical constraints to New Delhi's Arab partnerships

Sex slave manuals, dozens of address books and a huge porn stash were among the trove of sickening items found in one of Jeffrey Epstein's secret storage lockers in Florida, it has been revealed.

An inventory list obtained by the Telegraph showed the late pedophile had a three-page list of masseuses, letters and lab results hidden away in the Palm Beach storage unit.

VHS tapes and DVDs eroticizing teens, nude photos of apparent Epstein victims and boxloads of sex toys were also uncovered.

The president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Børge Brende, has announced he will step down in the wake of an investigation into his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

"I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions," said Brende.

He spent more than eight years leading the organisation behind the annual conference in Davos, Switzerland. Davos is one of the set-piece events on the business calendar, bringing together political and business leaders to discuss global trends.

Figures like JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon are regular attendees, and at this year's event, speakers included President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.