The market’s rise does not necessarily mean investors think everything is fine. It may simply mean they believe the worst-case outcome with Iran can still be avoided, and as long as that hope remains alive, money will keep chasing risk even while the real economic pain is only starting to build.

The stock market is still acting like the Iran crisis can be contained, but that optimism is starting to look more like denial than confidence. Serious economic trouble appears increasingly likely, and the Trump administration shows little interest or ability to pursue the kind of meaningful diplomacy that could actually calm the situation.

I was wrong to support Eric Swalwell. The allegations, the collapse of support, and his decision to suspend his campaign all point to the same conclusion: whatever promise he may once have had as a candidate is gone, and in my view his resignation from Congress should be next.

If a Democratic president were losing a war after promising peace, facing an Epstein-related cover-up cloud, and spending a critical moment yukking it up in Miami, the media would be treating it as a full-scale national crisis. That double standard is the point: this administration is a historic failure, and too much of the media is helping normalize it.

In the NIL era, the clearest path to winning in college sports is no longer just recruiting talent — it is buying experience, toughness, and proven production. Great coaching and chemistry still matter, but more and more, men are beating boys.

Angel Reese to Atlanta already feels like the kind of move that could elevate both the player and the franchise. If the Dream are built around Reese, Allisha Gray, and Rhyne Howard, that is an elite big three with the talent and presence to contend for a title.

California remains an easy political target, but the attacks on its supposed collapse are often exaggerated and driven more by propaganda than reality. The state still offers an exceptional mix of economic power, innovation, culture, climate, and quality of life that critics routinely ignore.

South Carolina has all the momentum and the coaching résumé edge with Dawn Staley, but UCLA looks like the more complete team heading into the title game. The Bruins’ senior leadership, patience, and shot-making give them a real chance to withstand the pressure and find a way late.

Trump’s words are losing value by the day, meaningful now only to a shrinking base that still wants to believe the performance. For everyone else — including markets and foreign adversaries — the constant warnings, empty phrases, and made-up confidence have become more embarrassing than reassuring.

The consensus opinion is usually wrong or, at best, incomplete, and the reaction to Geno Auriemma after UConn’s loss to South Carolina is a perfect example. Short-term emotions got the best of him, but that does not justify the lazy group-think pile-on from critics whose shallow outrage pales in comparison to what he has accomplished for women’s basketball.