Trump

President Trump said his senseless war with Iran will negatively affect the Republican party's midterm election chances but “won’t have any impact on me.” He got that wrong, big time.

The unprovoked attack on Iran will forever stain Trump’s legacy. It resulted in causing the deaths of 17 (so far) US service members, costing US taxpayers $37.5B, wrecking the global economy, triggering an energy crisis, powering inflation, and destroying longstanding American alliances. Because of Iran, Trump will be remembered among the three worst presidents in US history.

“Epic Fury” has morphed into “Epic Disaster.” What’s left of Trump’s political base is jumping ship.

Only a third of MAGA supporters believe the Iran war is worth the cost, according to a Politico poll released July 22. That’s down 13 points from the May survey.

Nearly four in ten (37 percent) of MAGA Iran war backers want combat to continue only if it doesn’t increase costs. That’s a pipe dream. Gas prices prominently displayed on pumps throughout the US attest to that inconvenient truth.

Meanwhile, the public is fed up with Trumpian nonsense about how the Iranians are begging to negotiate to end the conflict, and that America is heading for a complete and total victory.

In a sign of desperation, the White House spin is becoming more and more magical. “What matters most to the American people is having a commander in chief who takes bold action to keep them safe, which is exactly what President Trump is doing,” said White House spokesperson Olivia Wales.

No, they don’t. The American people want a commander in chief who can keep this country out of another forever war, which is what the Iranian debacle is shaping up to be.

Failing Pentagon Pete’s Test. Pvt. Isabella Gonzales did not match up to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s idea of someone who measures up to “the legendary American warrior ethos.”

She also would flunk Hegseth’s testosterone level test to assure “warfighters can operate at their absolute best.”

The 19-year-old Gonzales from Carrollton, TX, was killed in action after an Iranian missile attack in Jordan. She was part of air and missile defense crew that work with surface-to-air weapons systems to defend against threats. T-levels are inconsequential for that job.

Gonzales joined the Army right out of high school. She is the youngest service member to die because of president Trump’s decision to launch an attack on Iran to eradicate the nuclear capabilities that he was earlier said were obliterated.

Governor Greg Abbott posted on Facebook that Gonzales’ “courage and sacrifice represent the very best of Texas.” He could have expanded that sentiment to include the rest of the country.

CPAC Flops in the UK... The first Conservative Political Action Conference held in the UK (July 16-18) was a dud filled with empty ideas and seats, according to Sonny Loughan, Britain correspondent for The Economist.

He wrote: “If CPAC GB was your introduction to British politics, you would come away thinking that Sir Keir Starmer was a communist, and that the country is ruled by a sinister coalition of jihadis and “homo-Leninists” funded by George Soros and the Fabian Society (a left-leaning think-tank increasingly singled out as the force shaping Soviet Britain).

“The most popular solution to this crisis? Go back to church (and invest in bitcoin).”

He anticipated the CPAC GB would be a show of strength for the new right in the UK, rather than an ad for its weakness.

It’s back to the drawing board for CPAC GB.

Let’s hear it for the Democratic Socialist. The Big Business dominated Partnership for New York City had some rare praise for mayor Zohran Mamdani and his “Open for Small Business Agenda.”

The plan is “exactly the common-sense reform we need to maintain New York’s competitiveness," said a statement from Partnership CEO Steve Fulop.

While the Partnership eagerly awaits to see Mamdani’s full economic agenda, “Open for Small Business represents a step in the right direction toward protecting and expanding jobs and business across New York,” added Fulop.

The Partnership president knows the challenges of running a city. Previously, he was mayor of Jersey City, the No. 2 city in The Garden State.

Final offer, perhaps… San Francisco real estate company Prologis has been waging an unsuccessful takeover bid for its London rival, Segro.

On July 21, it made its fourth higher offer of $18.7B to the reluctant Brits.

Prologis’ quirky press release was headed “Best and Final* Proposal.” It warned that “the best and final proposal is final and will not be increased*).

That second asterisk mark explains that Prologis may indeed hike the offering price if a third party jumps into the bidding war or if the UK Takeover Panel provides its consent. So it wasn't a best and final proposal after all.

Segro’s board on July 22 announced that it unanimously concluded the financial terms of the Prologis Best and Final Proposal* “are at a level that it would be minded to recommend to shareholders.” It wants to extend the "Put-up" or "Shut-up" deadline to Aug. 12.

Prologis’ asterisk offer may have secured its prize.

Throwing Uncle Steve’s money away. It’s official the New York Mets are the biggest waste of money in baseball history, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Despite hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen’s decision to throw obscene amounts of money at the roster, the Mets are on target to spend $5.2M per victory this season. That puts my favorite baseball team on pace to chalk up 68 wins and 94 losses.

The previous high-water mark for inflation-adjusted dollars per win belonged to you know who: the 2023 Amazins clocked in at $4.8M.

The Mets playoff chances stand at 1%, which is better than zero.

In the words of the immortal Tug McGraw: ‘Ya gotta believe.” The reliever came up with that rallying cry on July 9, 1973 as the then-cellar dwellers caught fire and rode to the National League pennant.