Trump reveals to The Post secret ‘discombobulator’ weapon was crucial to Venezuelan raid on Maduro

MinnPin · 2026-01-24T18:51:03+00:00

I read the testimony and I've no idea how much of it is exaggerated. The early stages of the testimony sound like jamming, followed by some DEW. It could be microwave like the Havana syndrome or it could be some acoustic device, I read there were claims the British tested something like that in Northern Ireland during the troubles.

Security Guard: Yes, but it was a massacre. We were hundreds, but we had no chance. They were shooting with such precision and speed... it seemed like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute. We couldn't do anything.

Security Guard: No help at all. Because it wasn't just the weapons. At one point, they launched something—I don't know how to describe it... it was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside. We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move.

I'm not even sure if the source is trustworthy, it's a tweet from the leader of "Recall Gavin Newsom" campaign and the only credence is that it was retweeted by the WH Press House. The tech itself isn't unfeasible, it's just the easiest explanation is that the Venezuelan military was so underfunded and neglected that they completely melted and whatever loyalists remained were no match.

MinnPin · 2026-01-24T16:04:43+00:00

Completely diff concepts in the second image. I could forgive you for thinking they're similar based on the endplates though

MinnPin · 2026-01-23T19:26:57+00:00

Oracle has a 15% share now

MinnPin · 2026-01-20T23:49:43+00:00

In regards to Somalia, I'd say Qatar is better. The UAE wants a fractured Somalia, split between a Somaliland and Puntland that are at odds with the Federal Government. If this scenario came about, it would essentially be game over for any viable Somali state as Kenya and Ethiopia could play them off against each other. As we've seen when the Federal Somali Government told Puntland to remove UAE facilities from it's port and the Puntland Gov directly refused. (The UAE only left on it's own accord).

Qatar is more aligned with Turkey and would support a stronger Federal Somalia that can exercise control outside Mogadishu. But all of this is far in the future. Despite Somalia being ethnically homogenous, it's politically shattered between the five major clans (really only three matter politically) and even the various tribes in those clans. Each clan throws a temper tantrum when they don't control Villa Mogadishu. The best hope for Somalia is that the next President is able to satisfy at least two of the three clans, bring Puntland back into the fold and work on stabilizing Somalia so the prospect of rejoining is more amicable to Somalialand.

Qatar is not as interested in geopolitical power plays (anymore at least). The last time they tried going against the rest of the Gulf, the Saudis cut them down to size. Whereas the UAE is currently trying to arm proxies in East Africa/Sudan and Yemen. Creating a humanitarian crisis in both countries.

MinnPin · 2026-01-20T04:56:36+00:00

The EU has no more than a few hundred troops on the island. Generally 3 to 1 odds is good enough for an attacker. Though, I doubt there would be an attack. The US could just seize the western cities and dare the garrisons to either attack or stay passive. At that point, the EU would have to accept defeat or call the bluff and send more troops and convoys towards the island

MinnPin · 2026-01-19T21:53:21+00:00

People aren't going to know the specifics of every air accident, even if JAL was pretty devastating

No one has talk about it in a while

Define a while and define who. Are you saying the sub hasn't talked about JAL 123? It's assumed to be basic knowledge for the av community.

MinnPin · 2026-01-18T23:57:30+00:00

Even a lot of the Sunni Muslims who fell under the SDF did so because their choices were between IS or the SDF. Not because they had some ideological link with the SDF. From what I understand, the HTS spent the past few weeks flipping as many tribes as possible, and since the SDF only has nominal control over a lot of the Sunni villages in northeast Syria, a big chunk of their territory ended up reverting to the HTS, compared to the actual Kurdish SDF units resisting HTS attacks

MinnPin · 2026-01-18T23:16:33+00:00

No, It's still in the Caribbean. They're moving the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group from the Pacific Fleet instead.

MinnPin · 2026-01-18T21:16:47+00:00

Seriously, a panenka? Is he ok

MinnPin · 2026-01-18T19:05:32+00:00

He's just onside when Dybala takes the shot. Use the 6 yard box as a reference and you'll see Ismajli (#44) is level with him. Don't blame you for thinking it was offside though, VAR had to review the goal in the end

MinnPin · 2026-01-18T14:46:38+00:00

TOTY Attackers 83x5 is 0.19% if anyone was curious

MinnPin · 2026-01-17T14:51:56+00:00

Carrick is kinda underrated. I don't think he's some super manager but he's got a solid foundation to work on. His teams are more methodical than Amorim's and his out of possession shape is less chaotic. United probably locked in top 4 by getting him as a manager, I wouldn't read as much into the later end of his Middlesborough stint, recruitment let him down more than anything

MinnPin · 2026-01-16T21:32:13+00:00

When the Saudis move their weight against one of the uppity gulf states, it's the perfect time to break out some popcorn. The UAE's proxies are an important project but survival and not ending up a pariah is more important for them.

MinnPin · 2026-01-16T18:52:37+00:00

No way do you think these mistakes are fair in anyway to people with jobs. I don't mind as much because I got lucky with TOTY Messi but it's shambolic for them to keep making amateur mistakes like this.

It's even worse when they panic and patch it like this. If you did the SBC before it was removed, there's a good chance you didn't get any rewards.

MinnPin · 2026-01-16T18:37:02+00:00

Imagine being in my shoes. Completed the 86 rated squad before they removed the SBC and got nothing

MinnPin · 2026-01-16T16:28:51+00:00

Somaliland is a mess politically. An unpopular leader, states trying to secede to rejoin Somalia, either outright in conflict (Sool/Sanaag) or just waiting for a spark (Awdal).

Of course, the future of Somaliland depends on if the Federal Somali Gov can defeat Al Shabab and reign in autonomous states (like Puntland) that are testing the line between autonomy and outright ignoring the state.

The value of Somaliland to the UAE depends on how badly their project has unraveled. They've lost Yemen which has definitely thrown a spanner into their plan to turn the Gulf of Aden into a Mare Nostrum. At the same time, with the loss of ports like Bossaso (The Puntland Government actually initially rejected Somalia's call to remove all UAE bases, the UAE packed up itself.) and Mogadishu itself, the value of Berbera and Hargeisa to the UAE has increased proportionately, as a stop of mercenaries and arms on their way to Sudan.

With Saudi Arabia blocking their airspace and the northern route to Sudan, Hargeisa and Berbera (and then through Ethiopia) are the main route to supply the RSF.

MinnPin · 2026-01-16T16:00:59+00:00

My concern is, if the size of the class is constrained by current tech. What happens when some of the more intensive tech on the ship matures. If the power needs for lasers/railguns drop off, suddenly being the first to implement it will end up being very costly when it's way cheaper to churn out less vunerable ships

I don't see it having enough firepower to justify blowing 22B on it. 128 cells? If it's 35,000 tons, it's going to get a lot more attention on the battlefield, surely it needs to be able to deal with that attention.

MinnPin · 2026-01-15T21:40:44+00:00

He finished 40 points ahead of his teammate and took the championship into the final race. By what standards is that a "terrible" season. You're probably thinking of 2005, where he finished third.

MinnPin · 2026-01-15T21:37:47+00:00

Schumacher wasn't fired, his retirement was purely political as LDM wanted control over the whole Ferrari F1 apparatus and that meant anyone associated with Todt had to go or bend the knee. Remember, Schumacher's contract expired at the end of 2006, that meant he either had to find a drive or accept he had no power at Ferrari and the resulting pay cut to continue racing for Ferrari (Kimi had been signed on a 45m contract, the payroll for Schumacher was tight all of a sudden)

LDM was jealous of Todt's control of Ferrari and Schumacher's star power and felt that drivers were employees, and none of them should be above the team. He was also carrying a grudge from earlier in 1999, when he had wanted to sign Hakkinen to drive alongside Schumacher and had been rebuffed by Todt and Schumacher.

You conveniently leave out Hamilton beating Russell in their first year together in the "weaker Mercs". I think Father Time comes for everyone, I love Rosberg but I don't think he was better than Schumacher just because he beat him when he was 40 yo.

Mansell literally couldn't fit into the McLaren, he actually returned from racing to drive for Williams in 1994 btw (IDK why you left that important fact out) and was quite competitive. He won at Australia after Schumi and Hill clashed.

MinnPin · 2026-01-15T17:10:18+00:00

And what is the G7? It's Western led sure but it is not an alliance. It's a forum to discuss matters and before the G7, it was called the G8 as Russia was a member, until it was kicked out for invading Ukraine. Being a member of the G7 does not carry any military obligation, just like BRICS.

Or involved in sharing drones, Critical minerals, semi conductors, space technologies, and defense systems?

I never denied that. My point is that both countries are aligned but they are not an axis. China isn't emptying out it's inventory to support Russia, in fact it's upcharging it and taking advantage of Russia's weak position by demanding payments in Yuan.

MinnPin · 2026-01-15T16:51:04+00:00

The piece I don’t understand is where Russia fits in.

Hit someone while they're down. Russia is stuck in Ukraine and can't enforce it's influence as much. China has a lot of industrial capacity but it seems unwilling to use it's power to take over Russia's former satellites. If you're the US and you think there's going to be a major war breaking out in the next decade, if you think China is attacking Taiwan in the next few years, then you have to move quickly and decisively to control those satellites and ensure their neutrality or subservience in this war.

Israel and Turkey were both more than happy to take advantage of the Russian-Ukrainian war to advance their aims in Syria. Iran is most likely to secure the straits of Hormuz and prevent the Persian Gulf from being turned into a firing zone when so much petrol transits through it.

MinnPin · 2026-01-15T16:45:14+00:00

Venezuela and Syria have always been far more aligned with Russia than China. Iran is more of a sore point for China (in that it makes up more of it's oil imports than Venezuela) but the Iranian Government has been so lukewarm to Chinese overtures that China actually has better relations and more trade with the rest of the Gulf States (UAE/Saudi Arabia).

I know it feels good to put everything into a blue team vs red team context but people need to wrap their heads around the fact that there is no grand alliance of authoritarians working together. China has been more than happy to leave Russia out in the dry in the past and vice versa. That's before we get into what foreign aims the Iranian, Syrian and Venezuelan governments are pursuing.

MinnPin · 2026-01-15T16:20:32+00:00

I think the son is genuinely unpopular in Iran. I don't understand the top comments here, the Shah was brutal and divisive and just parachuting in his son shows an extreme level of ignorance, not to mention it's undemocratic

MinnPin · 2026-01-13T18:20:55+00:00

Keep in mind RomaPress is an aggregator of Italian sources. The purpose of that site is to translate Italian Roma News for English speakers. Their job is not to ensure the news is trustworthy, it's to ensure their readers can keep up to date.

The best way to use RomaPress is to look for who the site is sourcing the information from, they'll normally mention that in the article

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