Didn’t see this coming when this all began.
Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡
@shanaka86
BREAKING: Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, is negotiating to buy drone interceptors from Ukraine, the country Russia has been bombing for four years, to defend its oil fields from Iran, the country America has been bombing for two weeks.Read that sentence as many times as you need. It is the 21st century in a single transaction.
The Wall Street Journal reports that a Saudi intermediary closely tied to Aramco is in advanced talks with Ukrainian manufacturers SkyFall and Wild Hornets for their P1-SUN and STING interceptor drones, plus Phantom Defense electronic warfare systems, in a multi-million-dollar batch purchase explicitly designed to destroy Iranian Shahed-type drones before they reach Saudi oil infrastructure.
Ukraine learned to kill Shaheds by being hit with them. Russia has launched thousands of Iranian-made Shaheds at Ukrainian cities, power stations, and military positions since 2022. Ukrainian engineers did not study the Shahed in a laboratory. They studied it falling through their bedroom ceilings. They reverse-engineered the threat, built interceptors calibrated to its exact flight profile, radar signature, and thermal characteristics, and fielded them under fire. The interceptors work because the engineers who built them did so while the drones they were designed to kill were attacking their homes.
Now Saudi Arabia wants to buy that knowledge. Not from Lockheed. Not from Raytheon. Not from the Patriot system that costs $3 million per missile and was designed to kill ballistic warheads, not $20,000 drones. From Ukrainian startups that built their products in basements and tested them on battlefields.
The strategic implications cascade across every domain this war touches.
For Ukraine, this is the moment the country transforms from victim to vendor. Zelensky’s government has spent four years asking the world for weapons. It is now selling them. Every interceptor drone that ships to Saudi Arabia funds Ukraine’s own defence, reduces Kyiv’s dependence on Western aid, and demonstrates that the country the world pitied has become the world’s most experienced counter-drone power. The “salesman of the year” meme circulating on X understates it. Ukraine is not selling products. It is selling survival expertise, and the market for survival expertise in a world of $20,000 drones is every country with infrastructure worth protecting.
For Saudi Arabia, this is an admission that the most expensive Western air defence systems in the world cannot efficiently kill the cheapest weapons in the world. The Kingdom operates Patriot batteries, THAAD interceptors, and an integrated air defence architecture that costs tens of billions. Against ballistic missiles, these systems perform. Against saturation swarms of $20,000 Shaheds, they are economically irrational: a $3 million Patriot missile destroying a $20,000 drone is a 150-to-1 cost inversion that the attacker wins by firing. Ukraine’s interceptors cost a fraction of Western missiles and are purpose-built for exactly the threat Iran is deploying. Aramco is not buying Ukrainian because it is fashionable. It is buying Ukrainian because the math demands it.
For Iran, this is the beginning of the end of the Shahed’s strategic advantage. The drone that closed Hormuz, burned Salalah, struck the SafeSea Vishnu, hit towers in Dubai, and terrorised Gulf capitals for two weeks is about to face a countermeasure designed by the people who have been fighting it longest. If Saudi fields are protected by Ukrainian interceptors calibrated to the Shahed’s exact signature, the IRGC’s cheapest and most effective weapon becomes progressively less effective with every unit deployed.
For the world, this is the moment the drone age produces its own antibody. The same battlefield that created the threat created the cure. Ukraine is the immune system the Gulf is purchasing.
open.substack.com/pub/shanakaanslemperera/p/actuarial-warfare-how-seven-insurance?r=6p7b5o&utm_medium=ios
And more about the Strait and its importance:
Great explainer about just how screwed Gulf oil is now that the unthinkable has happened… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6Ql…
— Akshat Rathi (@akshatrathi.bsky.social) 2026-03-13T20:21:06.190Z
HE IS EVIL
More Perfect Union
@MorePerfectUS
Billionaire Palantir founder Peter Thiel encouraging other billionaires not to give money away.
https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/2033930423890321829?s=20
Reverend Jordan Wells
@WellsJorda89710
🚨To every Black person tempted by the antisemitic wave sweeping right now:🚨
Back when white mobs lynched us in the streets…
When we had no money, no power, and literally no movement…
Who stood with us? Who risked everything?
The Jews.
They weren’t just allies—they were family in the fight.
– Jewish leaders co-founded the NAACP in 1909 and funded/led it for generations when no one else would.
– When Dr. King and our people were arrested, beaten, jailed—Jewish lawyers defended us for free, and Jewish money paid bail bonds and court fees while others turned away.
– In Freedom Summer ’64, half the white volunteers risking death to register Black voters? Jewish.
– Rabbi Heschel marched arm-in-arm with MLK in Selma—our struggles linked forever.
Without their blood, treasure, solidarity, and courage—there is no Civil Rights Movement as we know it. No Voting Rights Act. No dream realized.
That’s why I stand with the Jews.
They were our only true friends when this country hated us—when doors slammed shut and ropes hung high. They showed up, bled, and built with us.
So to my people joining this demonic, divisive hate today:
Pause. Remember. Honor the alliance that freed us.
Our histories are bound. Our freedoms were won together.
Betray that, and you betray the very martyrs who died for our rights.
Black-Jewish unity forged the dream. Don’t let hate destroy it.
I stand with my Jewish brothers and sisters—always. ✊🏾🤝✡️🇮🇱
Repost if truth > trends. If gratitude > division. If history matters.
#BlackJewishAlliance #RememberOurAllies #StandTogether #CivilRightsTruth #NoToAntisemitism
https://x.com/WellsJorda89710/status/2033873341824553104?s=20
Marc Elias
@marcelias.bsky.social
As the SAVE America Act heads to the Senate floor, Democrats Tuesday vowed to kill the sweeping anti-voting bill pushed by President Donald Trump and Republicans, which experts say would undermine millions of Americans’ right to vote if it became law. http://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Amir
@AmirAminiMD
The fucking
@TheDemocrats
do not deserve to win the midterms just by sitting by and letting Trump commit war crimes and drag the entire world into the abyss.
Do something, you absolutely useless and worthless cowards.
6:40 AM · Mar 17, 2026
https://x.com/AmirAminiMD/status/2033871036043714656?s=20
Steve F.
@backyardsage
Republicans control both branches of Congress plus the White House and the Supreme Court. If you’re looking for somebody to blame, go talk to those stupid-ass American Muslims who stayed home or voted for Trump or Jill Stein in 2024.
I’ll bet you were one of them, weren’t you.
1:12 PM · Mar 17, 2026
https://x.com/backyardsage/status/2033969786292707446?s=20
Nick Knudsen 🇺🇸
@NickKnudsenUS
Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to lack a birth certificate or passport — the exact documents the SAVE Act requires to vote.
Coincidence? I think not.
Call your Senator: 202-224-3121.
#SaveActTaxesVoting
https://x.com/NickKnudsenUS/status/2033930745971196143?s=20
Christopher Webb
@cwebbonline
Let’s be clear on what’s happening here. They’re trying to steal the next election and this is a smoking gun.
Republican Senator Mike Lee sees polling that shows Dems gaining ground in the 2026 Senate race, and the solution is not better ideas, not better candidates, not better leadership. The solution is rushing to pass the SAVE Act.
#SaveActTaxesVoting
https://x.com/cwebbonline/status/2033953167541670334?s=20
Chuck Schumer
@SenSchumer
Senate Democrats will NOT allow the SAVE Act to pass through the Senate, no matter how long it takes. That’s because the SAVE Act:
1. Purges millions of Americans from voter rolls
2. Kills online, mail, and motor voter registration.
3. Rejects commons IDs to register to vote.
4. Forces Americans to register in person.
5. Penalizes married women who changed their last names.
11:49 AM · Mar 17, 2026
·
27K
Views
Christopher Webb
@cwebbonline
REALITY CHECK
In 2021, Democrats pushed voting reforms that were meant to balance access and security. It included a voter ID requirement — free, so eligible voters weren’t blocked.
The bill also aimed to end partisan gerrymandering.
With the help of two Democrats, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, Republicans blocked it.
The GOP didn’t want fair maps, they didn’t want updated registration systems, they didn’t want broader access to the ballot.
1/2
https://x.com/cwebbonline/status/2033881579312087539?s=20
More Perfect Union
@MorePerfectUS
BREAKING: Workers at CBS are walking out.
The unionized team that works CBS’ streaming service are going on a 24 hour strike in New York and San Francisco.
The walkout comes after negotiations with CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss reportedly imploded.
8:32 AM · Mar 17, 2026
https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/2033899179999723707?s=20
clap clap clap
Janet Mills
@janetmillsforme.bsky.social
Follow
@grahamformaine.bsky.social
blamed women for sexual assault, saying they should “take some responsibility for themselves” and “act like an adult.” Here’s what Maine women had to say about his words.
https://bsky.app/profile/janetmillsforme.bsky.social/post/3mhat6u2qck2h
Aaron Rupar
@atrupar
Hassett: “If the war were to be extended, it wouldn’t really disrupt the US economy very much at all. It would hurt consumers, and we’d have to think about what we’d have to do about that, but that’s really the last of our concerns right now.”
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2033874187874390372?s=20
CNN
@cnn.com
Hundreds of TSA workers have quit amid the partial government shutdown that is preventing them from getting paid. Airports are accepting donations for workers who have now missed their first full paycheck. cnn.it/3NlFXhk
https://bsky.app/profile/cnn.com/post/3mhat32resj2k
Al Jazeera Breaking News
@AJENews
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said wars are decided on the battlefield, not on social media, in response to comments by US President Trump.
He also derided the US campaign name “Epic Fury” as better described as “Epic Fear”.
https://x.com/AJENews/status/2033725773937258860?s=20
Joe Kent
@joekent16jan19
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.
I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.
It has been an honor serving under
@POTUS
and
@DNIGabbard
and leading the professionals at NCTC.
May God bless America.
https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/2033897242986209689?s=20
amos hochstein
@amoshochstein
Whether you support the war or oppose it, Joe Kent is a well known neo nazi racist. No one should be taking anything he says seriously – even if you happen to agree with some elements. https://x.com/stephenfhayes/status/1518926336793919493?s=46&t=_9jiTm604iKTo_0LSzFRdw
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center
@TheKingCenter
Happy 93rd Birthday to Mrs. Myrlie Evers-Williams.
Mrs. Evers-Williams has devoted her life to advancing justice, preserving the legacy of her husband, Medgar Evers, and continuing the work of the Civil Rights Movement. Her courage, leadership, and steadfast commitment to truth and equality continue to inspire generations to carry the work forward.
We celebrate her remarkable life and legacy today.
#MyrlieEversWilliams #TheKingCenter #MLK #BelovedCommunity
https://x.com/TheKingCenter/status/2033868457070973330?s=20
Elgin Charles
@ElginCharles
It is with a heavy, shattered heart that I process the sudden passing of my dear friend, the legendary Kiki Shepard. To lose a light so bright without warning feels like a theft of time, leaving an ache that words can barely touch.
Kiki was more than a cultural icon and the soul of Showtime at the Apollo; she was my sister in spirit. Our bond was forged over four decades, anchored by our shared Texas roots and a friendship that remained unbreakable through every season of life. She was the definition of genuine—a woman of immense grace who championed the fight against Sickle Cell with the same passion she brought to the stage.
To her family, our mutual friends, and the community she served so tirelessly: we have lost a giant. Kiki represented the very best of us, and while her physical presence is gone, her legacy as a champion for our people and a loyal friend will never fade. Rest in power, my sweet friend. You are forever loved and will be profoundly missed. 🕊️🙏🏽🕊️
With deepest sympathy and love,
Elgin Charles
#RIP #KikiShepard
https://x.com/ElginCharles/status/2033740003344355782?s=20
FOH!!!
The New Republic
@newrepublic.com
Follow
An eyebrow-raising fundraising email was circulated Thursday by a Trump-affiliated super PAC, promising supporters a “National Security Briefing Membership” in exchange for their cash.
trib.al/cFxyJv2
https://bsky.app/profile/newrepublic.com/post/3mh6mvx4k272z
Senator Ron Wyden
@wyden.senate.gov
Follow
In their wildest fantasies about Hunter Biden, Republicans didn’t come up with anything half as corrupt as what Kushner is doing in front of our eyes every day. He’s handling US foreign policy at the exact same time that he’s taking billions from the Saudi dictator.
https://bsky.app/profile/wyden.senate.gov/post/3mh6ynwj5a223
Katherine Clark
@whipkclark.bsky.social
Follow
Democrats voted to reopen TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard. Republicans voted NO because they refuse to rein in ICE.
This week, we will launch a discharge petition to force another vote.
If the GOP actually cares about paying TSA workers and keeping families safe, they’ll join us.
1:18 PM · Mar 16, 2026
https://bsky.app/profile/whipkclark.bsky.social/post/3mh72z3txn22r
You gotta be kidding me
Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis
@jeffjarvis.bsky.social
Follow
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
To Address Farm Labor Shortage, Trump Administration Turns to Migrant Workers http://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/15/u...
if you are in Illinois…
TODAY IS ELECTION DAY!
Alex Cole
@acnewsitics
Happy to see Susie Wiles receiving the medical attention that Republicans are trying to strip away from everyone else.
1:38 PM · Mar 16, 2026
https://x.com/acnewsitics/status/2033613850818580700?s=20
Democratic Wins Media
@DemocraticWins
BREAKING: Leader Hakeem Jeffries just announced that House Democrats will start a discharge petition to fund every part of DHS other than ICE. This is amazing.
1:08 PM · Mar 16, 2026
https://x.com/DemocraticWins/status/2033606415705592011?s=20
Mercury News
@mercnews
Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, ‘Sinners’: Big wins for Black culture, Bay Area filmmakers
https://x.com/mercnews/status/2033388916280062372?s=20
The Art Of Dialogue
@ArtOfDialogue_
Michael B. Jordan shares an emotional moment with Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro after his Best Actor Oscar win at the 98th Academy Awards.
https://x.com/ArtOfDialogue_/status/2033445926480543851?s=20
CBS News
@CBSNews
“He was a hero to his family.”
Cheryl Simmons’ son, Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, was among the six U.S. service members killed in a military refueling aircraft crash over Iraq last week. Simmons says her son loved being in the military and told her that while he knew the risks, he “was born for this.”
“He was our only child. You know, grandchildren, we won’t have. Him being married, you know, he wanted to be married.”
https://x.com/CBSNews/status/2033370019535442213?s=20
Clayton Davis
@ByClaytonDavis
Black women have broken barriers in production design through Hannah Beachler and in costume design through Ruth E. Carter. Now cinematography joins that list. Each of those milestones came through films directed by Ryan Coogler.
https://variety.com/2026/film/awards/oscars-analysis-ryan-coogler-history-timothee-chalamet-loss-1236689785/ via
@variety
Dr. Frisky Whisky McThicky, Ball Knower
@professorpash.blacksky.app
Follow
Michael B. Jordan pulled up to In-N-Out after winning his first ever Oscar award.
https://bsky.app/profile/professorpash.blacksky.app/post/3mh6fuyxtgc2q
Cory Booker
@corybooker.com
The FCC Chair who spent years fashioning himself as a crusader for free speech is now openly threatening to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over their coverage of the war with Iran.
This is state-sponsored censorship. Pure and simple. And straight out of the dictators’ playbook.
https://bsky.app/profile/corybooker.com/post/3mh54ycz3722d
נדב איל Nadav Eyal
@Nadav_Eyal
NEW: Israeli officials say Washington told them to prepare for weeks more of fighting – because of Hormuz. They confirm Iran has deployed about a dozen naval mines in the Strait, creating a controlled shipping corridor Tehran manages. My latest here: https://nadaveyal.com/p/the-war-of-hormuz
https://x.com/Nadav_Eyal/status/2033523982553456678?s=20
LanaQuest aka RosaSparks
@LqLana
Racists hate:
The Black and educated.
They call Black people lazy but also hate Black success. Here is a perfect example.
White man mad AF that a Black man bought 5 acres of land behind his.
White man is threatening to call the “law.”
In that white man’s mind that Black man doesn’t deserve to be there and pretty sure he thinks the Black man can’t afford to buy land.
Truth is, generational wealth has been stolen from Black people. Land and farms, brutally robbed. Now it’s a new day. Deal with it.
#DemsUnited
https://x.com/LqLana/status/2033524907095552363?s=20
Asawin Suebsaeng
@swin24.bsky.social
Follow
I am not arguing this is the worst or bloodiest war we’ve ever had. I’m very narrowly stating that it’s the worst run
7:08 AM · Mar 5, 2026
https://bsky.app/profile/swin24.bsky.social/post/3mgculvl6p22v
Adam Serwer
@adamserwer.bsky.social
Weird because they got rid of all the dei hires right? It couldn’t be that anti dei politics was simply white identity politics intended to preserve racial and gender hierarchy regardless of merit bsky.app/profile/swin…
https://bsky.app/profile/adamserwer.bsky.social/post/3mh6h5pebvs2s
News Eye
@newseye.bsky.social
Follow
UPDATE ON THE HORMUZ COALITION (Mon, March 16):
🇫🇷 France: REJECTED
🇬🇧 UK: REJECTED
🇮🇹 Italy: REJECTED
🇪🇸 Spain: REJECTED
🇯🇵 Japan: REJECTED
🇳🇴 Norway: REJECTED
🇨🇦 Canada: REJECTED
🇦🇺 Australia: REJECTED
🇩🇪 Germany: REJECTED
🇨🇳 China: NO RESPONSE
🇳🇱 Netherlands: NO RESPONSE
🇰🇷 South Korea: NO CONFIRMATION
4:01 AM · Mar 16, 2026
https://bsky.app/profile/newseye.bsky.social/post/3mh63vwfodc2m
COSTLY MEANS DEATHS, DEAR.
Rosemary Kelanic
@RKelanic
JPost: “When wargaming how the US Navy or a friendly one would break a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, it became clear the operation would take “weeks, not days.””
And it would be costly.
The U.S. public is not prepared for this.
@defpriorities
https://x.com/RKelanic/status/2033203993959428607?s=20
Phil Lewis
@phillewis.bsky.social
Viewers noticed Ryan Coogler appears to have a guitar and treble clef braided in his hair at the #Oscars
https://bsky.app/profile/phillewis.bsky.social/post/3mh5dphzcbc22
uosdɯᴉS ɐuɐꓷ 🦄
@danacorn.bsky.social
Follow
I’ve lost friends, people I used to think I saw eye to eye with on this stuff, because they fell fully into “voting is evil and democrats are awful…hey why is the Supreme Court evil now, I bet democrats did that.”
There’s no talking to them. It’s like they’re in a cult.
8:27 PM · Mar 15, 2026
https://bsky.app/profile/danacorn.bsky.social/post/3mh5cjag3hs2s
Film Updates
@filmupdates.bsky.social
Follow
Ryan Coogler becomes the second Black filmmaker to ever win Best Original Screenplay at the #Oscars
He joins Jordan Peele, who was the first.
https://bsky.app/profile/filmupdates.bsky.social/post/3mh57wqamcs2n
The Movie Monster
@Pauline98476699
Does hard work pay off for Black Americans?
Researchers at Northwestern University found that Black families have just one cent for every dollar that white families have.
The belief that hard work is the only ingredient needed to secure wealth persists. As sociologist Matthew Desmond noted, many people are unaware of “the fact that slavery didn’t just deny Black freedom but built white fortunes.
Black Americans are among the hardest working, underpaid Americans, and should be among the wealthiest except for systemic racism and the economic hole they were put into during slavery. -TMM
There is general acceptance that a racial wealth gap persists in this country. Disagreement arises, however, over who is responsible for this inequality. Some, buying into racist stereotypes, cast blame upon Black people, claiming they are either too lazy, undisciplined, or ignorant to bridge the divide. Research suggests there is a political component to this as well. For instance, Stern found that “conservatives are not only more likely to use stereotypes than are liberals but are especially likely to negatively evaluate counter-stereotypical people to organize the social world with greater certainty.” What many are avoiding, the white elephant in the room, so to speak, is systemic racism. This is what explains the schism. Over time, racist attitudes and beliefs have manifested in this nation’s laws and policies, perpetuating inequality. Black Americans are like Sisyphus, forced to push a boulder up a hill for their survival without ever reaping the rewards. Research has made it clear that there has been “no lack of effort on the part of Black workers.” The stereotypes that portray them as lazy are wrong, because “even in the face of persistent racial wealth gaps, labor market discrimination, occupational segregation, and other labor market obstacles, black workers continue to increase their annual hours and weeks worked per year .” If hard work were enough to guarantee success, Black Americans wouldn’t be at the bottom rung; they’d be among the wealthiest. Yet they are among the hardest-working, underpaid citizens.
https://msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/does-hard-work-pay-off-for-black-americans/ar-AA1RSGVF?ocid=socialshare
6:07 AM · Mar 16, 2026
https://x.com/Pauline98476699/status/2033500496846098895?s=20
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊
This is fascinating. Thank you.