Before my blog on earthquakes, two newsworthy items: The lull in the Iran War is over.  Iran lobbed missiles at American bases in the Middle East. Here is the backdrop: Way back in February, Netanyahu and Trump felt that, if they could surprise Iran with a serious series of bombardments, they could assassinate the Supreme Leader, plus many dozens of top government leaders, stimulating the people to rebel and overcome.  Israel and the USA could then swoop in, establish a new government, and totally demolish any nuclear ambitions. The USA/Israel did succeed in killing Ali Khamenei and 53 leaders.   Here is the complete list . However, Iran knew someday this would happen, and they organized a plan to take control of the Strait of Hormuz, and if necessary, also the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Here is the current situation. The people did not rebel, a new government formed and Iran has been able to maintain control over the two oil flow choke points. They also are not idiots....

Before launching into the Philippines, a few stories of the day. How much is this Iran War costing U.S. taxpayers? White House says around $30 billion. New data suggests a price up to $100 billion !  Todd Blanche faced the Senate Judiciary Committee today for his nomination as Attorney General. Nothing unusual transpired. There are now 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats on the committee.  That is because Lindsey Graham is no longer there.  Will his sister be placed on this committee? John Cornyn (R-Tex) is a member, but not today in the sphere of President Trump.  Yet he most likely will vote to pass on the nomination to the floor.  But what will he do when the final confirmation vote on the floor occurs? A tie vote would mean that Blanche would NOT be passed. However, the Senate has a mechanism for the party in power to bring a nominee to the floor through a discharge motion. Wait and see what happens, for the hearings continue for a second day tomorrow, and the ...