Author: HP McLovincraft

Seeker of rabbit holes. Pessimist. Libertine. Contrarian. Your huckleberry. Possibly true tales of sanity-blasting horror also known as abject reality. Prepare yourself. Veteran of a thousand psychic wars. I have seen the fnords. Deplatformed on Tumblr and Twitter.

US racks up billions in losses during first four days of war as Iran pummels key Pentagon assets: Report

Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US assets in the Persian Gulf have caused at least $2 billion in losses for Washington since the start of the war against the Islamic Republic, Anadolu Agency reported on 4 March.

Almost fifty percent of the losses result from Iran’s destruction of a US AN/FPS-132 early warning radar system at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which is worth $1.1 billion.

The Islamic Republic also took responsibility for shooting down three F-15E Strike Eagles over Kuwait on Sunday, an incident US Central Command (CENTCOM) claims was caused by “friendly fire” from Kuwaiti forces. The estimated cost to replace the jets is $282 million.

Attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Forces (IRGC) also caused heavy damage to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, destroying two satellite communications terminals and several large buildings.

“Using open-source intelligence reports, the targeted SATCOM terminals were identified as AN/GSC-52Bs, which approximately cost $20 million, factoring in deployment and installation costs,” Anadolu Agency reports. 

Tehran has also reported destroying the AN/TPY-2 radar component of Washington’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air-defense system deployed at Al-Ruwais Industrial City in the UAE, estimated to be worth $500 million.

“Combining these costs, Iran has damaged $1.902 billion worth of US military assets in the region,” the Turkish news agency says.

On top of these losses, Washington spent at least $2.3 billion during the first four days of the war, which was launched without congressional approval by using post-9/11 emergency laws.

The first 24 hours of the so-called “Operation Epic Fury” alone cost around $779 million, including pre-strike mobilization expenses of $630 million.

“At the current scale of operations, a three-week war could easily exceed tens of billions of dollars in expenses,” the Center for American Progress (CAP) estimated on Tuesday.

The US public policy research and advocacy organization also emphasized that “a conservative estimate for the initial costs of Operation Epic Fury is more than $5 billion as of March 2—and the campaign is just getting started.”

More losses still need to be accounted for, as the IRGC and its regional allies have targeted at least seven US military sites across West Asia since the start of the war, destroying several US diplomatic missions and intelligence sites belonging to the CIA and Mossad.

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Iraq and Cuba hit by blackouts amid US pressure and attacks on Iran

Both Iraq and Cuba have been plunged into nationwide blackouts, with the Middle Eastern country’s grid collapsing after a sudden drop in gas supplies to a major power plant in Basra, while the Caribbean island’s outage is being blamed on chronic fuel shortages worsened by the US blockade on Venezuelan oil.

The day before the Iraqi blackout, an Electricity Ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying that “incomplete supplies” of gas from neighboring Iran were already affecting power plant operations. Iran has been facing a massive US-Israeli air campaign since Saturday.

A separate power facility also experienced a shutdown in central Salah al-Din province, with local police explicitly denying reports that the station was targeted by an attack, according to the state-run INA news agency.

Iraq relies on Iranian gas for 30-40% of its power generation. The dependence is a direct consequence of decades of foreign intervention in the country. Before the 1991 Gulf War, the grid, though strained by sanctions, largely met demand. The war destroyed 75% of its generating capacity, and the 2003 US-led invasion caused a catastrophic collapse to less than 10% of prior output.

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Finland To Allow Import and Storage of Nuclear Weapons in Its Territory Bordering Russia

Helsinki has joined the nuclear-mania.

The world is getting more dangerous by the day, and especially in Europe, where a race for rearmament is in full display. More and more countries are starting to think about nuclear weapons in a way that would seem impossible just a few years ago.

From France vowing to increase its presently limited number of nuclear warheads and extend its protection to other EU nations, to Poland floating the idea of developing its own nuclear arsenal, Europeans have ‘learned to stop worrying and love the bomb’, to paraphrase Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Dr. Strangelove’.

Today (5), the Finnish government announced it will ‘ease its ban’ on nuclear weapons.

This will allow the country to import, transport, and store nukes on Finnish territory.

Politico reported:

“[Defense Minister Antti] Häkkänen told a press conference that the country’s legislative ban on nukes, dating back to 1980, was no longer relevant in the current geopolitical context. ‘The legislation does not meet the needs that Finland has as a NATO member’, Häkkänen said, according to regional media.”

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Trump Says He Must Have a Say in Picking Iran’s New Leader

President Trump said in an interview with Axios on Thursday that he must have a say on who is chosen as Iran’s next leader following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, contradicting other administration officials who say the US’s goal is not regime change.

Trump made clear to Axios reporter Brak Ravid that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has reportedly emerged as a frontrunner to replace his father, wouldn’t be acceptable to the US.

“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,” the president said, referring to Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

The US didn’t choose Rodriguez as Nicolas Maduro’s replacement, but she was the next in line as the vice president and has been willing to work with the US to stave off another attack. A much different dynamic is unfolding in Iran as the killing of Khamenei has not slowed Iran’s military response, and the country’s leadership shows no sign of backing down despite the massive US-Israeli bombing campaign, which has killed over 1,000 civilians.

Trump said that he wouldn’t accept any leader who continues Khamenei’s policies because it would result in the US launching another war within five years. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” he said.

Earlier this week, Trump said that all of the people he had in mind to replace Khamenei have been killed and acknowledged that in the end, Iran’s next leader could be “as bad” as Khamenei.

“The worst case would be we do this, and then somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person,” he said. “That could happen. We don’t want that to happen. It would probably be the worst — you go through this and then in five years, you realize you put somebody in who was no better.”

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Ex-husband of sex scandal mayor Misty Roberts fought to keep kids away from her former lover who later turned up dead 

Disgraced Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts’ former lover was found dead just weeks after her ex-husband accused him of being abusive, it was revealed Thursday.

Roberts, 43, who was found guilty on Tuesday of having sex with her son’s underaged friend, started dating William Andrew Cronce in the wake of her divorce from Duncan Clanton, the father of her children.

Cronce, a local pipe liner, was then found dead on February 23, 2024.

An online obituary described the 38 year old as a loving and hardworking father, who coached baseball in the DeRidder community where Roberts served as mayor.

‘He was unstoppable on a machine or with a ball in his glove,’ the obituary said. ‘He was truly the man in the arena – falling, standing up and trying again.’

It went on to say that ‘behind an extremely hard exterior was the most gentle man.’

‘He loved and lived with so much emotion and passion,’ the obituary concludes.   

It is unclear how Cronce died, but his death came just about one month after Clanton accused him of being abusive in a civil restraining order to keep him away from his and Roberts’ two adolescent children, according to the New York Post.

Clanton argued that his ex-wife’s new lover had alcoholic, suicidal and ‘stalky’ tendencies in the January 24, 2024 letter asking a Beauregard Parish court judge to grant the protection order on behalf of his daughter, then 10 years old, and son, 13.

‘I am fearful for my children’s safety because William Andrew Cronce does have access to weapons/handguns, he is bold enough to publicly voice/threaten suicide and has shown stalking behavior with the mother of my children,’ he wrote.

The worried father then went on to claim that during an argument with Roberts, Cronce ‘exited the house loudly, shouting in front of [the children] that their mother needs to learn to shut her “c*** sucker” if she knows what’s good for her.’

Cronce had even allegedly threatened suicide in a Facebook post following a breakup with Roberts, and was later found by police ‘incapacitated and unconscious with a gun on his person,’ the ex-husband said.

‘If he is brave enough to take his own life, what is stopping him from shooting Misty, our kids and himself?’ Clanton asked, rhetorically.

He also said that despite Cronce allegedly ‘stalking’ his ex-wife by taking photos of her home and vehicle and sending them to her while they were broken up, she took him back.

Clanton then ultimately filed the request for a protection order after he said Roberts ignored his repeated pleas to keep Cronce away from their children – and even disregarded their own daughter’s wishes not to see him.

Cronce ‘has a history of instability and alcoholism that is abusive in relationships,’ the father-of-two wrote in the court document.

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This Bill in New York State Would Protect Lawyers From AI Competition

If you’re a New Yorker in trouble with the law, it might soon be impossible for you to consult your favorite chatbot for legal advice.

Last week, the New York state Senate Internet and Technology Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill S7263. The bill would hold AI companies liable specifically for harm caused by chatbots performing tasks that, if carried out by a human, would constitute unauthorized practice of a licensed profession, such as providing medical diagnoses or legal counsel.

The bill would also require chatbot deployers, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI, to “provide clear, conspicuous and explicit notice to users that they are interacting with an artificial intelligence chatbot program.” However, doing so does not allow these companies to disclaim responsibility for the outputs of their chatbots.

Sen. Kristen Gonzalez (D–Queens) introduced the bill last May alongside six others included in the Internet and Technology Committee’s AI legislative package. Gonzalez, who chairs the committee, described the package as “tackl[ing] the urgent need to protect the workforce from their companies’ use of AI.” Despite this comment, Gonzalez frames the bill as protecting the public, not workers.

In the bill’s justification section, Gonzalez cites a warning from the American Psychological Association to the Federal Trade Commission that chatbot therapists could drive vulnerable people to harm themselves or others. While Gonzalez highlights the possible risk of using chatbots for psychological therapy, she conveniently ignores studies that have found that companion chatbot use is associated with substantial reductions in anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

S7263, as currently written, would not just apply to the licensed professions of psychology and mental health services, but to medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, pharmacy, nursing, podiatry, optometry, engineering, architecture, and social work as well. 

Taylor Barkley, director of public policy at the Abundance Institute, tells Reason the ban is “shortsighted at best and protectionist at worst.” While “these are all professions and services that require accuracy and accountability…AI systems increase quality and lower cost in all these areas.”

S7263 would also hold chatbot deployers liable for chatbots that practice or appear as attorney-at-law, which not only includes representing clients and handling formal legal matters, but also merely offering legal advice.

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Plot Twist: Kuwaiti Fighter Jet Shot Down All Three US F-15s

In a remarkable feat, a single Kuwaiti F/A-18 Super Hornet took out all three of the American F-15s that were shot down over Kuwait on Sunday, according to sources who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. The new narrative replaces the initial reports that attributed the shootdowns to a Kuwaiti Patriot missile battery. 

Launching just three missiles, a single pilot went three-for-three, destroying the trio of F-15E Strike Eagles, which were purchased for something like a combined $93 million in 1998 dollars, or $187 million today. New F-15EX models go for about $100 million apiece. All six crew members parachuted safely in Kuwaiti territory, though one of them had an unsettling reception from a pipe-wielding Kuwaiti who may have mistaken him for an Iranian pilot.

The incident happened shortly after an Iranian drone hit a US tactical operations center in Kuwait, killing six US Army Reserve soldiers, say the Journal’s sources, who are familiar with the initial reports on the mishap. With many other drones having swarmed the area, when an amped-up Kuwaiti pilot saw jets on his radar, he started blasting.

The airspace in the theater of operations is a madhouse, packed with fighter jets, bombers, reconnaissance craft, fuel tankers, drones, cruise missiles, HIMARS rockets, interceptor missiles, and incoming Iranian missiles and drones. “It’s a busy, busy air environment, and in times of stress, tension, crisis, and, certainly in this case, conflict, even more so,” retired US Air Force B-52 bomber pilot Mark Gunzinger told the Journal.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Dan Karbler, who led the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command provided additional perspective on these types of incidents and what investigators will look at: 

A fratricide incident like the one in Kuwait usually happens because of several breakdowns in communication or failures in equipment, Karbler said. Investigators will be looking to see if the aircraft friend-or-foe transponders, which are supposed to broadcast the information about a plane electronically, were working properly. Other factors are whether the Kuwaitis knew the planned flight paths of the American jets, whether the aircraft themselves were flying the correct routes and whether Kuwait was able to talk to the F-15s, either electronically or by voice…

“It’s all the more complicated when you have different air defense systems operating on different frequencies that aren’t integrated, and some of those systems are actively trying to counter threats such as drones,” he said.

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Trump pardons Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is issuing a “full and unconditional” pardon to Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, using a lengthy social media post to accuse the Biden administration of targeting political opponents, even within its own party.

“One of the clearest examples of this was when Crooked Joe used the FBI and DOJ to ‘take out’ a member of his own Party after Highly Respected Congressman Henry Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders, and the Biden Border ‘Catastrophe,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!” Trump continued, referring to bribery charges brought against the congressman in 2024.

Responding to the pardon on X, Cuellar thanked Trump “for his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts.”

“This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on,” he wrote.

The 11-term congressman, who filed for reelection Wednesday as a Democrat, has been likely to face a competitive reelection in a Trump-won district that Republicans are targeting — making the president’s pardon a puzzling move as his party tries to defend its majority in 2026.

Asked Wednesday if he’ll change parties, Cuellar told reporters on Capitol Hill, “No, like I said, nothing has changed.”

And Cuellar said he did not cut a deal with the White House to earn the pardon. “No, no,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju when pressed on the topic later Wednesday. The congressman said he “didn’t know that this was coming,” adding he would go to a White House Christmas party next week and would thank the president personally.

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Former New York D.A.R.E. officer admits to selling drugs while in uniform in squad car

A former New York state police officer who also served as a cop for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, admitted to selling drugs while on duty. 

Michael Tapscott pleaded guilty in Ontario County Court to 40 drug-related charges, Rochester First reported. 

He resigned from the Geneva Police Department last year after he was accused of selling Adderall, a Schedule 2 controlled substance, to someone at a used car dealership while on duty and in his squad car.

Tapscott, a 13-year veteran of the police force, also served as an instructor with D.A.R.E., known for its mission to keep kids off drugs.

Four other former officers were charged in connection with Tapscott. 

An investigation into Tapscott began in April 2025 when Ontario County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that a uniformed officer sold drugs while driving a marked patrol vehicle, the Syracuse.com reported. 

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Outrage as child sex offender running for city council holds press conference outside Fresno school, cops called

An elementary school in Fresno was forced to file a police report after a child sex offender running for city council held a press conference just steps away.

Rene Campos, 41, a candidate in Fresno City Council‘s District 7 race, spoke Friday on a street outside St. John’s Cathedral to address outrage over his past, the Fresno Bee reported.

He was about 10 feet away from Big Picture Elementary School, a public charter school, which later contacted local cops.

Until 2015, under Jessica’s Law, California prohibited registered sex offenders from living within 2,000ft of any school or park in the state.

The law was later declared unconstitutional by the California Supreme Court, which ruled that residency restrictions must be applied on a case-by-case basis.

It remains unclear whether Campos is subject to any specific court orders, restraining orders or individualized restrictions related to his offense, or whether his limitations fall solely under California’s general sex offender registration requirements.

Campos, who is running to unseat incumbent Nelson Esparza, has not publicly clarified the scope of any conditions that may apply to him. The Post reached out for comment.

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