The market immediately responded to Trump’s nonsensical blockade. 
Mindless Cheerleading
James Bull on the “Myth of the Closure”
Stunning Idea from Stunning Places
Getting It Right
A Bad Future
Trump Repeats War Crimes Threat Once Again
“I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalinization plants, their electric-generating plants, which are very easy to hit,” Trump said on Fox News.
Yes, and Iran would hate to retaliate by hitting the desalinization plants of every Arab country in the region.
Oh, they would hate to do it.
Accurate Reflections on MAGA
Weeks ago, when Trump announced that the U.S. Navy would escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz to open the waterway, MAGA-tards celebrated Trump’s, “5D Chess! It’s open!”
Now, after Trump has announced the CLOSURE of the strait with a new U.S. naval blockade, those same MAGA-tards are announcing, “Still 5D chess! It’s closed!”
If Trump announced that the Strait or Hormuz would be magically transformed into a Disney log ride, those same people would scream, “5D Chess! LOG RIDE!” Because they are dumber than dirt. Complete idiots. Incapable of rational processing of reality. They are the only people still remaining in the Trump camp. IQ < 90 skin bags of mindless obedience with zero intelligence.
Debate Over Trump’s Allegedly Smart Play
You Can Count on Silliness from Robin Brooks
Brooks presumes China won’t defend itself. These clowns are incapable of clear thinking.
The Invisible Calvary Ready to Help Trump
The idea that the EU would blockade oil and natural gas shipments is ludicrous.
Trump is a liar and an economic idiot.
A Question for MAGA
Some More Clear Thinking
Typical Trump Arrogance
Notes from Megyn Kelly
About that Cuba Blockade
How Will Iran Respond?
By doing nothing. Trump will cave and demand more negotiations.
China expects its 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership with Iran to be fully honored. This blockade idea is pure idiocy when Trump hold no cards.
Progression of Events
- Trump starts war against advice of military experts, JD Vance, others.
- Key goal quickly becomes opening the strait that was open before the war started.
- Trump begs allies to help us open the strait
- Trump says “We don’t care if the strait is open.”
- We will “Bomb Them Back to Stone Ages” if strait not open.
- 48-hour repreive extended twice.
- “Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight” if strait is not open.
- Negotiations to open the strait.
- Negotiations fail.
- Blockade the strait to keep it shut.
Q&A on the Blockade
Q: When Does the Blockade start?
A: The blockade is set to begin Monday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, according to U.S. Central Command.
Q: How fast does Trump back off this nonsensical blockade idea?
A: My guess is before it starts.
Q: Will MAGA will cheer?
A: Of course?
Q: Why?
A: Because they are mindless cultists who always cheer. But Trump will make it easy. He will declare that he forced the Iranians back to the negotiation table by his blockade.
So Nicky Hailey says the intent of the blockade is to stop Iran from making money on oil exports and thus starve them economically. Kind of like a siege. I wonder how long that will take. It could be months especially if China lends them money in return for oil in the future.
Then she says they want to take Iran’s Uranium. First of all she said other middle eastern countries would use their armies to do it but later on in the interview she said US special forces could do it. So ya boots on the ground.
She seems to be making things up as she goes but on the face of things this does not look to be ending any time soon.
They are now starting to blame China.
I am looking for another surprise attack from Trump. He is going to get frustrated very quickly. The US needs this to end now. Iran can afford to be patient.
So you understand her background, Nicky Hailey is a standard NeoCon warmonger (like George W Bush in Iraq). Like Lindsey Graham and John Bolton she is always in favor of the US going to war. Her problem is there is no way the Iranians will give up their right to enrich uranium (which they also need for their nuclear power plant). They have never wavered on that and the war only reinforces the importance of having the ability to develop a nuclear weapon and have the US leave them alone, like they do with North Korea.
Of course they want to cut off Iran’s source of wealth. But there is a reason they have been letting Iran sell its oil during the war, and even removed sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil. They don’t want the global economy to collapse. Now they are egging on that collapse, thinking it will get the Iranians to fold. The Iranians are in an existential threat and they are willing to suffer a lot of pain, far more than America is. There is no chance this counterproductive blockade works. The only question is how fast the US will have to back off on the blockade.
I’d wager that the ship insurance companies will price the US blockade the same as the Iran blockade and the price will again pin the ships where they are.
America is an unfortunate animal suffering from rabies caused by Israelization.
Confused about the war? This should clear things up!
https://x.com/AwakenWithJP/status/2042730454697013330
Trump might be a loser but he’s China’s #1 salesman.
Chinese EV exports are surging.
Not just EV cars but trucks, construction equipment, farm equipment & mining equipment. Also solar cells & grid storage units.
Trump’s also helping bring about Taiwan-China reunification.
It’s going to be a sad day in China when Trump exits the chat.
Soooooooooo,
How’s that blockade going?
All the Iranian tankers have already left and are delivering their cargoes, then heading to other oil producing countries to transport other oil… Here at home gas that was $2.96 is now $4.29 and heading up, Up, UP!
We are blockading the very area we insisted that Iran not blockade!
Can’t make this shit up folks!
According to Ship Traffic there are both a container ship and tanker going through the Strait of Hormuz at 9:30 eastern time. Exactly how does Trump think he can force compliance with his whim of the day?
Same way as he dealt with those smugglers in the Gulf of Mexico. That worked great, why wouldn’t this?
Decisions are easy, when you’re stupid.
I don’t think Trump has the guts to bomb a Chinese oil tanker.
China could declare the US Navy pirates and put a few of the ships on the bottom.
The oil/chemical tanker Elpis left Iran and headed straight through the Strait without incident this morning. See for yourself…
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:6295238/mmsi:620999876/imo:9212400/vessel:ELPIS
They said that any ship in the Arabian Sea would be boarded by teams to commandeer them. It’s still a vast sea and the USN have only so many ships. Guess that we’ll soon find out.
The dread Pirate
Robertser, um, Trump.8 AM Monday 4/13/2026 pre-market trading has all markets down. Tomorrow or the next day trump will taco and say he is going to open the strait, markets will rebound his friends (billionaires) and family will make more millions, maybe billions. Rinse/repeat until the markets crash and do not recover for years if ever.
Trump has now entered into an alternative reality of pure stupidity ie advancing dementia. I can only conclude this illegal war is nothing about toppling Iran’s leaders, nuke development etc, but about Trump’s bully boy mission (Venezuela style) to get his hands on its oil. The quicker America kicks him into a loony asylum the safer the world will be.
Mish, yours is the first newsfeed I check every morning and all day.
This is a recent podcast that, in my opinion, clarifies the global chessboard like no other.
Yes, it’s all about energy. It’s also all about piracy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nt1CgQsgpI
Thanks
But the petrodollar idea is silliness.
I will be talking about that soon.
Looking forward to it.
China invested vast amounts of money into developing its rare earth business so that it could sell them to other countries. They are capitalists. Perhaps the best capitalists to ever walk the face of the earth. China does not want to do anything to detract from the worldwide live-streaming of the US defeating itself. It will probably announce sale prices on rare earth minerals if oil tankers bound for China and SE Asia are allowed through the blockaded Strait,
Underestimate your enemy at your own peril. The Chinese themselves are attributed with giving that advice to the world. Ironic, eh?
Tao te Ching (Lao Tzu) chapter 69 excerpt: “No misfortune is greater than underestimating an enemy. Underestimating my enemy almost makes me lose my treasures.”
Question for Mish:
What happens when China sends through a tanker. Does the US shoot it or what? If I were the Chinese I would send through a tanker and see what big balls has to say.
you sound like a war monger.
Not at all. I bet that any same person lets the tanker sail on through as they don’t want China sending their fleet in. The US doesn’t need or want to fight China as well.
My point is that when faced with a Chinese flagged tanker coming at them I would bet the TACO trade to occur.
Whether the Chinese do this or keep this episode in its back pocket to defend their illegal islands and shipping lane blockades in the SE sea
There you have it. China sent through a tanker and nothing happened. See Mish’s most recent posts.
How you left realiyczech?
It would be Taco Time.
Trump was for the tolls on the Strait of Hormuz before he was against them. From Google AI:
The evolution of his statements is as follows:
Proposed Joint Venture: On April 8, 2026, Trump told ABC News that he was considering a joint U.S.-Iran venture to collect tolls as a way of “securing” the waterway, calling the idea “a beautiful thing”.
Condemnation of Iranian Tolls: By April 10, 2026, Trump condemned reports that Iran was unilaterally charging fees—reportedly up to $2 million per vessel—warning on Truth Social that “they better stop now!”.
Naval Blockade and Interdiction: On April 12, 2026, following the collapse of peace talks in Pakistan, Trump announced that the U.S. Navy would blockade the strait and “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran”.
“All or None” Policy: He stated that no vessel paying an “illegal toll” would have safe passage and that his goal was to ensure the strait is either completely open to all or completely closed, telling Fox News, “It’s going to be all or none”
Pro tip: Watch what Trump does, don’t listen to what he says.
And recognize that neither will make even the tiniest bit of sense.
I prefer to listen when he threatens to genocide every Iranian. The threat itself is a war crime. You may not think war crimes matter, but most people believe they are among the worst crimes that exist.
[Mish edit of what I think JoJo meant] “The threat itself isn’t any more of a war crime than thinking it would be. And I wager that you can’t provide any supporting documentation.”
Supporting doc is easy. The threat is extortion. Perhaps not a war crime, but an illegal extortion crime. Look it up.
Yes, he is making an ass out of himself in plain sight.
I’ve been watching what he does, it don’t impress me much.
Mindless? I should think not, dear sir!
We should have done this from the beginning of the war.
Now let’s roll out the catapults and start tossing rocks (or bombs in modern parlance).
Trump said we won this war how many times already? Ten?
There apparently is a growing number of lemmings in the world who can’t think for themselves and believe whatever comes out of the mouths of the dc stooges.
So much besmirtching of lemmings.
https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=56
Best joke that I have seen on the war (although if you are there it is no joke). Via SNL
President Trump: The Iranians don’t seem to realize that they have no cards.
Colin Jost: They are literally holding a Strait.
https://youtu.be/4lkuq7Gg2AM?si=lQDmWIrUJaTw_tGS&t=113
Why are we bombing Iran for blocking the strait when we are going to do the same thing ourselves?
Because it would be insane to bomb ourselves?
Or would it? 5D chess!
Because Trump gets to call all the shots as crazy as he likes
The only cards Taco has are all jokers…
He doesn’t even have those anymore, he’s got a handful of chewed on beer coasters.
Trump might as well have taken a gun and shoot a bullet into his own foot. Americans will soon find out at their gas stations that this is complete madness.
Yet today Chevron is down, the Dow is up, and and oil is up. Perhaps they succeeded in dragging us into their stupid universe. The Stupidiverse.
What a wag Mr. Bull is. Can he point out the re-routing of LNG (y’know from the Qatar plants that don’t exist anymore)? Of great interest to Europe. Or the pipelines supplying fertilizer & ag chemicals? Of great interest to countries which grow or import food.
Next year, when Africa is starving and there are food riots in Italy, well Trump can just blockade those ungrateful a-holes as well.
More logic chain breaks. The straits were never closed by Iran. They were closed by the insurance companies that refused to insure hulls in Trumps war zone.
Iran was/is no longer loading any tankers, and its loading facilities fertilizer plants and other industrial infrastructure has been compromised. The Iranian tankers that were full – have left with their cargoes. They will be sold or re-flagged and look for new shipping lanes and cargoes to haul.
Kharg Island has not had a tanker there for five weeks. The US blockade would only serve to stop Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain and the UAE from shipping products or receiving supplies?
Sorry, but Trumps idiotic blockade tantrums make no sense.
How would an insurance company determine what to charge for cargo or hull insurance in this untested market…
Close. Three tankers were loaded at Kharg Island Mar 21-23. No “reported” loadings since then.
I have taken screenshots of Kharg/Persian Gulf/Hormuz every day and Ship Tracker has not shown any tankers at Kharg islands fueling docks since March 8th. Of course the AIS could have been turned off to mask its presence a bit.
Thanks for the input, it’s ok to have contradicting data points in a conflict like this… Without dated military grade satellite images? I know that I do not know for sure…
Last tanker I saw there was the Star Line, flying the flag of Curacao. It is presently anchored just east of Kharg with Kharg as its destination. It draws 14.9 m of water so its a big boy…
Also, 2 tankers loaded on Saturday, April 11 and 3 were waiting to load.
Satellite images from Javier Blas on X.
They must have had their AIS systems turned off because they did not show up on Ship Tracker at all. THX!
Or Javier is playing with the data. Sure would like to have tracked them if they were there. Do the satellite images show the damage and sunken boats from our air assaults?
Nice try but we will be allowing oil and traffic from the west (left) side countries along the Strait to enter and exit the blockade. Only ships with Iranian oil will be turned back along with those intending to load Iranian oil..
JoJo, care to name which insurance company or sovereign nation is providing the cover for these hills or cargo?
The United States military insurance company!
Poor Jojo, suffering from serious delusions now…
Ready to eat our hats once he shows us the ship traffic receipts
I think the main problem here is that the US refuses to differentiate between Nuclear Energy and Nuclear weapons.
They think they are the same and they are not.
In the past Iran has been allowed to develop nuclear energy and have submitted to inspections that are meant to determine whether they are developing nuclear weapons and Iran has passed those inspections.
There is a lack of clarity in reporting what Iran wants. Are they now insisting that they be allowed to have nuclear weapons? I wouldn’t blame if they did after what the US and Israel have done in attacking them as they would be a deterrent to that happening in the future.
However, the world is never going to agree to that.
I am betting that Iran would settle for the right to be able to develop nuclear energy and would likely submit to inspections carried out by NATO.
I think that is reasonable and the point at which this matter can likely be settled.
I wish that instead of the Trump rhetoric we could be told the facts of what each side wants.
Nuclear energy does not require enriching uranium or hundreds of Russian nuclear scientists. The US has offered to provide Iran with all the uranium it needs for peaceful nuclear power. They rejected the offer.
The US has offered to provide Iran with all the uranium it needs for peaceful nuclear power.
========
ahahahah!!!!!
IF YOU TOLD EARLIER YOU practice to be comedian I WOULD BE LESS HARSH ON YOUR SORE A11SS!
===
one thing you got wrong: it would be Israel that provides iran /w uranium !
you can use this joke for free!
alx
Nuclear energy absolutely requires enriching uranium, just not up to the purity to make a nuclear bomb. A bomb requires about 90% enrichment, something Iran has never been able to achieve, nor can anyone show that they’ve ever even tried.
So sayth Sir Jon,random internet commenter, who provides no cites or evidence to back up his statements.
Jojo, how hard did you hit your head on that metal corner?
uranium used for electric generation typically needs to be enriched to increase the concentration of uranium-235 (U-235) to about 3-5%. This enrichment is necessary because natural uranium contains only about 0.7% U-235, which is not sufficient for sustaining a nuclear chain reaction in most reactors.
No one would have any issue with Iran enriching to 3.5%. The problem is when they crossed that number all the way up to 60 odd percent.
Again, the USA has offered to provide Iran with uranium enriched to 3.5%. Russia or China could agree to do the same, IF they wanted to help solve the problem.
Want to take another swing at obfuscating the issue again? D’oh.
Short 2 minute video–where J.D. Vance exposes the real reason for the Iran War ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kRf4FDPA5E
fucking hilarious, I would pay twice the regular ticket price to see this movie.
I hear it is 2 weeks away from premiering
OMG! That is hysterical!
Expecting Trump to act like a human is like being a vegetarian and thinking a wild animal wont eat you.
You are right, almost all vegetarians die by being consumed by some other animal.
Breaking news: Trump at war with the Pope now, will he blockade Italy?
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/12/trump-pope-leo-catholic-church-iran.html
The president said he does not “want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” in a Truth Social post.
“Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise,” Trump said. “He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
Oil Surges by $9 to $105.
DOW Future – Down 452 points ( – 0.94% )
NASDAQ Future – Down 263.7% ( – 1.04% )
That’s the language TACO understand.
–
Did anyone notice that WTI is about $2 more than Brent? WTI is usually about $5 below brent. I wonder why that is. Maybe – it is because the world is willing to pay the extra transportation cost over Brent and that works to a $7 premium. Why not buy Brent? Seems like the world does not trust the UK and its oil supply. They trust the US. The market trust the US oil market and Trump over Starmer and the UK oil market. Does that make Starmer more mindless?
Well you get this week’s first turkey comment award. I suggest you re-read what you wrote and try to think.
Are you comparing the contracts for the same time period? The WTI price quoted this evening is May $104. Brent is June $102.
To get a true comparison you need to look at the same contract date.
=Why not buy Brent? Seems like the world does not trust the UK and its oil supply
it is not real physical oil! it is paper one. albeit widely used
there are 3 real oil benchmarks: Russia, USA, and middle east!
AND OF COURSE price delivered varies a lot across world.
Comparing apples and oranges and saying they are different. You get an A+ for differentiating between dramatically different fruits!
Slightly off-topic, but I’ve been a Mish GETA reader since 2008. Is it time for another classic Mish refutation of the petrodollar-is-dead garbage? Nobody else makes the case better than Mish.
I saw his March 21 post on X but it was very brief.
Here is a classic link from 2014:
https://mishtalk.com/uncategorized/end-of-u-s-dollar-hegemony-not/
And another link from 2007:
https://mishtalk.com/uncategorized/petrodollars-return-home/
It’s been a while since we received a full-on Petrodollar-is-dead refutation from Mish. I do not believe he changed his position since 2007.
I have a post already started on petrodollar nonsense.
Coming up next week
I might have a 3-star Mishelin waiting if it includes references to bitcoin 🙂
He could really tantalize the masses with a link to the subreddit buttcoin
TY, Mish!!!
=futation of the petrodollar-is-dead garbage? No
when was last time you checked USA debt and USA deficit ?
39 trln
and 2.8 trln
you are welcome!
No argument re: the national debt and political / economic malfeasance. The question of petrodollar is related but separate from those discussions. Bond and currency flows have many variables, among which oil markets are one input.
Y’all stop saying TACO, because you are being played. It is not new with trump or in the USA.
Eurozone rulers have been doing the same thing for 4+ years. One of them makes crazy statements about ratcheting the pressure on Russia, another leader calls it crazy, they monitor public reaction, and then they move forward with a half step.
That they have been doing it is undeniable. As for purpose, using the “boil the frog” analogy: they can boil the frog more easily by making it sometimes feel like the heat might be letting up. The “step back” disrupts people’s extrapolation mechanisms.
The rulers advance their agenda while keeping the public from revolting too violently.
Not sure what this post means but I’ll get back to you in two weeks.
NATO spent years turning Western Ukraine against Russia. You might need to wait longer than 2 weeks to judge whether what I said makes any sense.
Do strategists use firm timelines? Or do they measure and wait for social metrics to revert to ranges within which the strategists feel give them wiggle room to take the next step? Or something else?
More performative politics by Trump. All the Iranians have to do is keep boats from coming in or going out of the Straight. And they can have the Houthis lock down Bab El Mandeb and one-up the escalation ladder..
The Houthis can interfere with Bal El Mandeb anytime, but they have not. The most likely reason is because China is currently getting so much Saudi oil from the Red Sea through that strait.
Careful, Trump/Israel might just “false flag” an attack or blockade.
The CIA would do it and not even tell Trump.
I’m sure the Saudis would not appreciate that.
Did the royals IPO Aramco and place that money elsewhere? Did they buy puts on Aramco at any time? I wonder.
Good point! Perhaps that’s why they have been targeting the loading facilities and the production facilities instead..
Brian Berletic makes a pretty compelling case that the U.S. blockading the strait was the goal all along. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JsELCv_hc3k&ra=m
The blockade is already failing view and analysis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsOpeOtnLX0
Been essentially blockaded for a month…and somehow the jawboning to keep this thing from imploding has worked. TBH you’d think the financial and bond markets would have acted signficantly more volatilely within this backdrop. No one seems concerned at all other than in the oil space (which impacts nearly everything and yet hasn’t)!
When will things finally get disorderly??!?!
30 year at 4.947….yawn, it was there quite a few times..Oct 2023, EOY 2024….the question is when will it break to the topside and stay there? SP Futures around 6800, that’s not any great concern. Never saw a markete so sanguine in the face of so many things that should have it broken by now.
43 daze now…
Do the math and you will see why the Plunge Protection Team is so busy and the Rothschild bankers are profiting so heartily. Owning the quotation system has its advantages. Again…
DOW Futures all ready recovering from the lows.
You need to watch Asian markets for impact. Not doing good so far.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/13/asia-pacific-market-us-iran-talks-blockade-oil-prices.html
Asian markets can be 4% down and US markets open green, because of AI or some bs
Asia almost always follow what happens in the US the day before.
Wonder if this is actually proof to the age-old conspiracy theory that says someone or some body controls the financial markets
There are so many smoking guns regarding the controlled markets that no one cares… They just want to be on the side that’s winning.
But like the tide, you will not hold it back forever… Markets always are a valuation tool. Even while risk is not factored in.
GLTA!
The key date to watch out for is April 15th.
By mid April, many countries will receive their last shipments of tankers, NatGas and other petrochemicals affected by the blockade (e.g. Fertilizer)
Instead all this whining & bitching by you
Libitards. Think positive, how can we profit off this? Heavily invest into fertilizer & food companies, stay ahead of the game.
If you think you can’t afford to invest,
Cancell all your Roku accounts, stop eating out
Cook your own meals, plant a garden, stop smoking & drinking, the list goes on…
All this negativity gets you no where.
roflmao
You forgot “crawl under a rock” in your to do list.
I suggest you invest in getting a life.
Quiet, piggy.
Will Russia be a winner in this oil war, along with the brokers who already arrange Russian oil sales to India and China using old tankers ready for the scrap yard?
Yes. Provided they can export their oil and refined products. With Ukraine constantly bombing their export facilities, they are having difficulty exporting right now.
The Russian leadership has refused to take its war seriously since the beginning.
The WSJ editorial board is cheering this mindless blockade madness. Heck, they proposed it last week.
Call me a conspiracy theorist but I suspect they want to blame the Iran conflict for the upcoming private equity meltdown and new banking crisis.
There are so many things falling apart now across the world that the powers that be need to position their finger pointing.
Quite possible – but this would assume someone was forward thinking. I think it will be purely coincidental.
I’ve been saying the same thing about an imminent meltdown. Only I think the triggering event will be a UFO alien invasion. They need something bigger than COVID. (And yes, I’m sorta kidding about the aliens, but I wouldn’t be surprised either).
Unfortunately it is not “mindless”. It is worse than that.
Have you watched Brian Berletic? He walks viewers through the think tank strategy documents.
Be careful of Mr Berletic’s hypothesis. He believes Israel is not the tail-wagging-the-dog. His position is that all of this psychotic behavior aligns with USA’s pivot to China… notwithstanding evidence to the contrary.
WSJ is owned by Newscorp ~ the parent of Fox. They have been writing Trumps scripts for a decade and the Bush WMD nonsense as well.
Propaganda for MAGA/Israel at its finest…
There is a big difference between WSJ news reporting, which is generally decent, and the WSJ editorial board/opinion section, which consistently publishes Israeli propaganda.
WSJ/Fox has been in the Zionist camp for years, in the forefront of Mockingbird media.
Well, not being an American, I don’t know a lot about how the Wall Street Journal editorial board stands, but I assume they are relatively serious people, so it sounds as though there is some heavyweight dissension from the views of the military experts on this site, doesn’t it?
[ROTFLOL] 🤣🤣🤣
Well those military experts were so smart they kept Vietnam from going Communist, removed all the WMD from Iraq, got rid of the Taliban in Afghanistan and easily won the war on terror. Thank God for those geniuses!
And bond yields rising….
https://www.cnbc.com/bonds/
10 Year @ 4.361
20 Year @ 4.944
30 Year @ 4.947
But agree that Trump will TACO somehow, I knew he would juice markets somehow on Monday and here we are….
Do worry, Trump will find a way to make things even worse.™
It has gotten to the point that you cannot guess the next invented crisis – just that the words will flip flop at certain milestones to create confusion and “uncertainty”