War with Iran

[MU82]

Why Many Iranians Are Losing Hope After Six Months of War

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/world/middleeast/iran-war-six-months-israel-us.html?

When the United States and Israel rained down missiles and bombs on Iran to start their war exactly six months ago today, there were some Iranians who, within a swirl of conflicting emotions, saw in the destruction something unexpected: hope.

"The one thing I'm certain about is that I wasn't sad," said Negar, a 35-year-old lawyer, describing feelings that were echoed by other Iranians interviewed via voice memos and text messages. "There was anxiety. There was worry. But there was no grief when the war began."

Six months later, the hope that Negar and other Iranians had that the war might presage a better future is largely gone, replaced with gnawing worries about the future, cynicism about the intentions of the United States and growing desperation from living in a failing economy.

[Shaka Shart]

Why Many Iranians Are Losing Hope After Six Months of War

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/world/middleeast/iran-war-six-months-israel-us.html?

When the United States and Israel rained down missiles and bombs on Iran to start their war exactly six months ago today, there were some Iranians who, within a swirl of conflicting emotions, saw in the destruction something unexpected: hope.

"The one thing I'm certain about is that I wasn't sad," said Negar, a 35-year-old lawyer, describing feelings that were echoed by other Iranians interviewed via voice memos and text messages. "There was anxiety. There was worry. But there was no grief when the war began."

Six months later, the hope that Negar and other Iranians had that the war might presage a better future is largely gone, replaced with gnawing worries about the future, cynicism about the intentions of the United States and growing desperation from living in a failing economy.

They should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and not have been born in Iran

[MU82]

From Axios:

America's grocery squeeze has been felt most painfully in expensive categories like beef, coffee and chocolate.

But new forces are pushing up food prices across the board: expensive grain, soaring fertilizer and fuel prices, plus unpredictable weather and raging wars.

Why it matters: The next grocery price shock could hit much harder — and wider. And midterms are 65 days away.

The big picture: Your grocery store is fed by a vast global supply chain, and pressures are building all along it.

The Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars have driven up diesel prices, making it more expensive to operate harvesting equipment and to truck food from suppliers to stores.

The Iran war has disrupted fertilizer supplies and prices, since a large share of the world's fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

This past week, corn and wheat prices hit their highest level in three years. Bad weather has hit corn crop yields, and the Russia-Ukraine war has roiled wheat exports.

Friction point: Wheat's a key ingredient in pantry staples, and corn is a major animal feed. So as they go up, so can meat, dairy and eggs.

The intrigue: Don't assume those soaring commodity prices are a bonanza for farmers, either. They're still getting squeezed by all the other crises. Even the president of the National Corn Growers Association told Axios Future of Energy author Ben Geman that he himself wouldn't be profitable this year.

Add all these pressures to the list of already inflated food items:

Instant coffee is up 15.8% year-over-year; tomatoes, 12.8%; beef roasts, 13.5%; apples, 11.1%.

In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, about three-quarters of people said grocery prices are still rising where they live.

Threat level: There's reason to believe it's only going to get worse.

J.P. Morgan analysts warned in a report this month that global food inflation would hit 5% in the first half of 2027, nearly doubling this year's rate.

"Price pressures are expected to extend through [the first half of 2027], as crop and price effects are still building and agricultural impacts lag the oceanic peak by 6 to 12 months," they wrote.

The bottom line: These forces don't drive up your grocery budget overnight. But compounding strains on the cost of growing, harvesting and transporting food could make an already expensive grocery run even more expensive.

[Uncle Rico]

From Axios:

America's grocery squeeze has been felt most painfully in expensive categories like beef, coffee and chocolate.

But new forces are pushing up food prices across the board: expensive grain, soaring fertilizer and fuel prices, plus unpredictable weather and raging wars.

Why it matters: The next grocery price shock could hit much harder — and wider. And midterms are 65 days away.

The big picture: Your grocery store is fed by a vast global supply chain, and pressures are building all along it.

The Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars have driven up diesel prices, making it more expensive to operate harvesting equipment and to truck food from suppliers to stores.

The Iran war has disrupted fertilizer supplies and prices, since a large share of the world's fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

This past week, corn and wheat prices hit their highest level in three years. Bad weather has hit corn crop yields, and the Russia-Ukraine war has roiled wheat exports.

Friction point: Wheat's a key ingredient in pantry staples, and corn is a major animal feed. So as they go up, so can meat, dairy and eggs.

The intrigue: Don't assume those soaring commodity prices are a bonanza for farmers, either. They're still getting squeezed by all the other crises. Even the president of the National Corn Growers Association told Axios Future of Energy author Ben Geman that he himself wouldn't be profitable this year.

Add all these pressures to the list of already inflated food items:

Instant coffee is up 15.8% year-over-year; tomatoes, 12.8%; beef roasts, 13.5%; apples, 11.1%.

In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, about three-quarters of people said grocery prices are still rising where they live.

Threat level: There's reason to believe it's only going to get worse.

J.P. Morgan analysts warned in a report this month that global food inflation would hit 5% in the first half of 2027, nearly doubling this year's rate.

"Price pressures are expected to extend through [the first half of 2027], as crop and price effects are still building and agricultural impacts lag the oceanic peak by 6 to 12 months," they wrote.

The bottom line: These forces don't drive up your grocery budget overnight. But compounding strains on the cost of growing, harvesting and transporting food could make an already expensive grocery run even more expensive.

It's just a few pennies.

Promises made, promises kept.  Thank god for socialism.

[tower912]

Inflation only matters if you can blame Biden.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

From Axios:

America's grocery squeeze has been felt most painfully in expensive categories like beef, coffee and chocolate.

But new forces are pushing up food prices across the board: expensive grain, soaring fertilizer and fuel prices, plus unpredictable weather and raging wars.

Why it matters: The next grocery price shock could hit much harder — and wider. And midterms are 65 days away.

The big picture: Your grocery store is fed by a vast global supply chain, and pressures are building all along it.

The Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars have driven up diesel prices, making it more expensive to operate harvesting equipment and to truck food from suppliers to stores.

The Iran war has disrupted fertilizer supplies and prices, since a large share of the world's fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

This past week, corn and wheat prices hit their highest level in three years. Bad weather has hit corn crop yields, and the Russia-Ukraine war has roiled wheat exports.

Friction point: Wheat's a key ingredient in pantry staples, and corn is a major animal feed. So as they go up, so can meat, dairy and eggs.

The intrigue: Don't assume those soaring commodity prices are a bonanza for farmers, either. They're still getting squeezed by all the other crises. Even the president of the National Corn Growers Association told Axios Future of Energy author Ben Geman that he himself wouldn't be profitable this year.

Add all these pressures to the list of already inflated food items:

Instant coffee is up 15.8% year-over-year; tomatoes, 12.8%; beef roasts, 13.5%; apples, 11.1%.

In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, about three-quarters of people said grocery prices are still rising where they live.

Threat level: There's reason to believe it's only going to get worse.

J.P. Morgan analysts warned in a report this month that global food inflation would hit 5% in the first half of 2027, nearly doubling this year's rate.

"Price pressures are expected to extend through [the first half of 2027], as crop and price effects are still building and agricultural impacts lag the oceanic peak by 6 to 12 months," they wrote.

The bottom line: These forces don't drive up your grocery budget overnight. But compounding strains on the cost of growing, harvesting and transporting food could make an already expensive grocery run even more expensive.

I just can't believe all this winning the current administration does.  It's incredible and unlike any other.

[cheebs09]

I just can't believe all this winning the current administration does.  It's incredible and unlike any other.

To be fair, I think many in the administration are winning, which is all they care about.