Hey Everyone,
Last night Joel Rubin and I went on a whistle-stop world tour, taking stock of where the US is positioned, for better or worse.
We kicked off, of course, with Iran, because that’s the cliffhanger of the moment. As I type this Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are in Geneva for talks with both Iran - and Ukraine.
Joel’s analysis of how we got to this moment and what the problems are, is worth listening to. I was particularly struck by his comparison to the daring military capture of Nicolas Maduro in the middle of the night in Venezuela. “That was a clean win,” he explained.
But, he says there is no possibility of a “clean win” in Iran. The likelihood of the Iranians agreeing to give up every nugget of nuclear possibility is almost zero.
“Then what?” asks Joel. What will that Armada sitting on Iran’s doorstep do?
Also, the US is alone in picking this fight. We do not have the support of the other members of the UN Security Council.
He also reminds us that Witkoff and Kushner are not experience Iran experts. Unfortunately the Trump administration didn’t see the point of keeping any of those around, it seems.
We move on to discuss the latest news out of Israel: The US embassy is providing services for US citizens in West Bank Settlements - a first.
We get to Marco Rubio’s speech in Munich and its meaning.
And the lack of emphasis on Ukraine in Trump’s State of the Union Speech.
I was about to get to Epstein and the fallout around the globe that’s happened following the release of the Epstein files and suddenly I was cut off the chat!
I had high-speed internet, so I am getting to the bottom of why. My apologies. It was very annoying.
Joel and I will be back! Fear not! And I will give you an updated Epstein report shortly. You can read Joel’s substack here.
Meanwhile:
A reason I value Joel Rubin’s insights is that I think he’s particularly balanced and nuanced. He sees the world in shades of grey, not black and white.
As you know I like to mix up viewpoints here and make up my own mind as I listen, and push back if someone says something I disagree with, or I know to be incorrect.
That’s why I’m happy to partner with Ground News, a website and app I use constantly to see how stories are being pushed — and by whom. Ground News aggregates reporting from over 50,000 sources worldwide and shows you each outlet’s ownership, factuality rating, and political bias. You can compare coverage side-by-side and even filter by whether a publication is owned by private equity, a major corporation, or is independent — like this Substack.
Ground News shows you how the same story — like the aftermath of Nicolás Maduro’s capture — is reported and framed differently across various news outlets. By presenting multiple perspectives side by side, and letting you filter by left‑leaning, center, or right‑leaning sources, it makes it easier to understand not just the events themselves, but how they are being presented.
If you care about seeing the full picture — beyond just the headlines — Ground News is a valuable tool for understanding the news from all angles. This is exactly what Joel and I were talking about. A so-called “clean win” in Venezuela can be presented as decisive justice — or as legal controversy and overreach — depending on where you look. The facts may overlap, but the framing often does not.
If you value understanding not just the news — but how it’s being framed — I think you’ll find it useful.
You can get 40% off the unlimited Vantage Plan through the link at groundnews.com/mapu or click below.
And don’t forget please:
Thank you Kerry Shaw, Susan R, Carrie Rhodes, Robin White, Trump Is A Russian Asset, and many others for tuning into my live video with Joel Rubin! Join me for my next live video in the app.
