Odds and Ends — 24 March 2026

Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been pushing President Trump to continue the war against Iran, arguing that the U.S.-Israeli military campaign presents a ‘historic opportunity’ to remake the Middle East.
In a series of conversations over the last week, Prince Mohammed has conveyed to Mr. Trump that he must press toward the destruction of Iran’s hard-line government.

Politics:

https://twitter.com/TimothyDSnyder/status/2036192779001282583

The White House Template for Trump’s Lies

Donald Trump’s White House spokespeople have a favorite two-step reply when reporters ask them to comment on one of the president’s false claims.
First: They say, ‘President Trump is right.’
Second: They defend some related point that isn’t the one Trump actually made.
Trump’s communications team has returned to this ‘President Trump is right’ template again and again during his second presidency. Even in response to his most clearly inaccurate statements.

https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/2036170984357499300

A trader made nearly $1 million since 2024 from dozens of well-timed Polymarket bets that correctly predicted US and Israeli military actions against Iran.
The bettor won a staggering 93% of their five-figure wagers about Iran, even though the events they predicted were unannounced military operations.

Treason in the Futures Markets

The story would be baffling, except that there’s an obvious explanation: Somebody close to Trump knew what he was about to do, and exploited that inside information to make huge, instant profits.

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

https://twitter.com/KantInEastt/status/2036123832264868144

———— Melon Husk ————

Musk Must Face Lawsuit Alleging Power Overreach

A federal judge in Washington will allow a lawsuit to go forward that accuses billionaire Elon Musk of unconstitutionally exercising executive power during his time in the Trump administration last year as a presidential adviser.

———— Mors Imperii ————

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/2036173758709297156

Trump’s Presidency Is in a Death Spiral

Trump’s numbers on the economy are radioactive. Every major demographic group of voters disapproves of his economic stewardship, including supermajorities of young and nonwhite voters. He’s even underwater on this issue with white, non-college voters, a group he won in 2024 by more than 20 percentage points.
Perhaps the most dangerous warning flag for Trump? A majority of voters expect that the economy will get even worse over the next year…
This data also comes with sharp implications for the midterm elections. By this point, it is difficult to see a way in which an aging Trump can escape the death spiral that has enveloped his presidency.
What’s more, the loss of trust the Republican Party has experienced on the economy has been nothing short of staggering. In fact, in our latest survey, Democrats actually had a slight edge when it came to the economy, which marked a shocking reversal from the 14-point edge Republicans enjoyed during the Biden years.