He Has No Deal, He Has No Dice - Trump Thread #162

[Spandauer]

Old enough to remember whole years in which I barely thought about the American president.

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/chat/5513875-depraved-desperate-deluded-and-dangerous-trump-thread-160

eta: in my haste I think I've numbered the thread incorrectly! Oh well.

If this were a AIBU family problem thread on here, this is the point where I do a drip feed and declare myself colour blind ? But it's not and I'm not.

But you are right. Not totally random, because adjacent contrast was taken into account. But apart from that, and the fact that my spreadsheet only has about 120 colours plus grayscale in it's basic selection box... it was random.

And I did pick red for the Trump line. So that was nor random.

:-)

CNN factchecking the Pope now.

I don't think ANYONE had that on their bingo card.

Excellent analysis on Aljazeera on Iran's options to trade using land, Caspian Sea and non SoH blockage ports.
March income increased to $139M per day from $115M. April figures will be interesting re financing the war.

How will ceasefire talks go?
What opportunities for movement on Red lines for both sides?
It's another wait and see time.

I haven't read the article, so I would imagine I'm repeating something that's already in there, but, yeah, the steel is being provided by ArcelorMittal, who, strangely, seem to have been granted tariff relief on their imports.

I think today might be a fasting day, now that I'm thinking about his balls.

For some reason the media I have seen ignores the Caspian. It is a pretty massive door Iran has that the US can't access.

Unless I’ve missed something else, I think CNN is fact-checking Trump’s lies about the Pope, not suggesting anything the other way round? (Not sure if you can read the linked article, @RedTagAlan?)
edition.cnn.com/2026/04/16/politics/fact-check-trump-pope-iran

China using every opportunity for propaganda and who can blame them?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXB-ouFkfZz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Technically you are correct of course. But the article is listing when the Pope said stuff. So I claim a bit of leeway :-)

Overruled! <taps gavel>

Last post was in jest.😆 @RedTagAlan can you access aljazeera even occasionally?

Definitely time for all round!

Blocked.

In fact, a friend was saying there is a VPN crackdown. Has been since Jan. But it's regional it seems. His VPN worked fine in another region, but not this one.

Another example really of the issues the Iranians had pre war. I never knew there was a VPN crackdown because one needs a VPN to know that. If the Government do not want you to know things, they have ways. And VPNs can be cut at any time.

There’s a Trump countdown which saves me working it out each time!

https://logwork.com/countdown-h5o4

Maybe add this to the 1st post going forward @Spandauer?

China and the Scarborough Shoal. Is the timing significant?

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-moves-block-entrance-disputed-south-china-sea-shoal-images-show-2026-04-15/

Exclusive: China moves to block entrance to disputed South China Sea shoal, images show

Satellite images show fishing boats, floating barrier at entrance
Deployments latest amid long-running tension over shoal
Philippine officials say 10 Chinese coast guard ships seen
HONG KONG/MANILA, April 15 (Reuters) - China is employing ships and a barrier to tighten control of the entrance to the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea amid roiling tension with the Philippines over the disputed feature, satellite imagery obtained by Reuters shows.
Scarborough is one of Asia's most hotly disputed maritime sites, where some diplomats and analysts fear long-running frictions and confrontations could degenerate into armed conflict.

In January, the militaries of the Philippines and the United States sailed together at the shoal in the 11th such drill by the treaty allies.
Military engagements between them have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington in response to China's growing presence in the busy waterway of the South China Sea.

Thousands of troops from both countries are set to begin large-scale exercises across the Philippine archipelago this month, including in Zambales, whose coast is about 120 nautical miles from the Scarborough Shoal.
Diplomats say the drills and broader tensions are being closely watched amid fears that China could take advantage of perceptions that the U.S. is distracted by the Iran conflict and its effort to re-open the vital Straits of Hormuz waterway.

So back to fighting when this 2 week ceasefire ends if negotiations are unsuccessful?

I've seen news that Iran has given in on the uranium bit while keeping Lebanon as red line. Rather a clever way to position it as 'we're being reasonable, now you have to give something too', knowing full well that Israel won't agree to anything much in Lebanon.
Politicians at the coalface of this must have the heart rate of Bjorn Borg or else be existing on H2 blockers.

Victims of shootings suffering because of Trump's 'pardons' drying up compensation funding. Another arsehole consequence.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/17/trump-pardons-cost-shooting-survivors-millions

The US and Iran are in talks over a possible deal in which Washington would release about $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in exchange for Iran giving up its enriched uranium stockpile, Axios reports.

They could call it JCPOA

🚨 Just in: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi says "in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire".

So we know who is in charge then.

USA - freedom to carry a gun. UK - freedom never to think I need one.

The irony will be lost on Trump.

Which means....those 10,000 troops, ships, $$$$$$$$ was for what?

See what I just found just in the fridge.

Att