It's a complex topic with multiple issues. It's not something you can simplify to all or nothing like you keep trying to
[1]Excuse me? It has been you all along who has been trying to simplify this as an "all or nothing" by trying to claim every target Iran has hit in the region was directly tied to the U.S. That's simply not true. Trying to act as if every target Iran has hit in the region was directly tied to U.S targets is false on every level.
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As far as wanting countries not to exist, that seems to be mostly restricted to us and Israel.
[2]That's a great admission after the fact.
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Certainly, Iran is not currently going out of their way to attack the EU. Maybe Britain is on the shortlist after the oil company situation back when, too, but I don't really see the same degree of hateful rhetoric directed their way.
[3]When did Iran ever "Go out of their way to attack the EU"? Did you mean they are showing nothing at all which would indicate they are going after the EU?
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We've gone over this before. I don't have a voice in my head that says things out loud. I can read just fine, though. Trying to sort out your tangled twisting and straight up misunderstood/misrepresented information can be a challenge.
[4]Ditto.
1. No, you were the one trying to claim that military targets were civilian. I clarified on particular ones where it was more complicated than you made it look or where you were just flat out incorrect.
2. It was always my position. There were multiple separate positions that you keep conflating in your effort to disguise your distortions that I pointed out.
3. I never claimed they did. In fact, I said the opposite. That's what I was getting at, no indications that the EU home front is an imminent target. Which was one of my earlier reasons for why the EU might not want to get involved now if they don't have to.
4. Not ditto. You have claimed to have a voice in your head. And, your reading comprehension does not seem very good. I do believe you have trouble following and keeping track of your own written peregrinations, though.
It's a complex topic with multiple issues. It's not something you can simplify to all or nothing like you keep trying to
Excuse me? It has been you all along who has been trying to simplify this as an "all or nothing" by trying to claim every target Iran has hit in the region was directly tied to the U.S. That's simply not true. Trying to act as if every target Iran has hit in the region was directly tied to U.S targets is false on every level.
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As far as wanting countries not to exist, that seems to be mostly restricted to us and Israel.
That's a great admission after the fact.
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Certainly, Iran is not currently going out of their way to attack the EU. Maybe Britain is on the shortlist after the oil company situation back when, too, but I don't really see the same degree of hateful rhetoric directed their way.
When did Iran ever "Go out of their way to attack the EU"? Did you mean they are showing nothing at all which would indicate they are going after the EU?
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We've gone over this before. I don't have a voice in my head that says things out loud. I can read just fine, though. Trying to sort out your tangled twisting and straight up misunderstood/misrepresented information can be a challenge.
You actually tried to be honest at one point......
Originally Posted by Bull_Dawg
Yes, Iran is a threat to everyone they can reach.
But then you backtrack with this.........
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2. No, I've been correcting your inaccurate AI slop.
I'm not the one that's been moving in a different direction. I've been responding to your garbage.
So they are a threat to everyone they can reach and they have hit targets that has no impact on the U.S. whatsoever and still you post this nonsense which you've been arguing for days now and then all you have is this?
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3. No, your BS is expected. I just don't want you to present one of your creative reimaginings as having come from me.
I don't believe you can even hear yourself.
It's a complex topic with multiple issues. It's not something you can simplify to all or nothing like you keep trying to.
As far as putting pressure on us, they're seemingly willing to attack anyone within reach of their cheaper short range weapons.
As far as wanting countries not to exist, that seems to be mostly restricted to us and Israel. Certainly, Iran is not currently going out of their way to attack the EU. Maybe Britain is on the shortlist after the oil company situation back when, too, but I don't really see the same degree of hateful rhetoric directed their way.
We've gone over this before. I don't have a voice in my head that says things out loud. I can read just fine, though. Trying to sort out your tangled twisting and straight up misunderstood/misrepresented information can be a challenge.
Since Andrew Berry took over as General Manager, the Browns have posted a regular season record of 45-56. If you remove the two seasons when Baker Mayfield was the starting quarterback, that record drops to 26-42 from 2022 through 2025.
That places Cleveland among the four lowest-performing teams in the NFL during that period based on wins and losses.
What makes this notable is that the Browns also spent more money on player salaries than any other team during those years.
In other words, Cleveland paired the league’s highest payroll with one of its weakest records. From a resource-allocation perspective, the return on investment has been difficult to justify.
Roster Evolution
Back in 2020, the roster featured roughly ten players who were clearly above-average NFL starters, several of them at Pro Bowl or All-Pro level:
* Myles Garrett * Nick Chubb * Joel Bitonio * Wyatt Teller * Jack Conklin * Denzel Ward * Jarvis Landry * Baker Mayfield * Kareem Hunt * J.C. Tretter
Fast forward to 2025, and that list had shrunk considerably:
* Myles Garrett * Denzel Ward * Jerry Jeudy * Joel Bitonio * Wyatt Teller * David Njoku
Heading into 2026, the Browns have a lot of exciting young talent, but relatively few established elite players.
Denzel Ward remains one of the best cornerbacks in football, while Jared Verse has the potential to become a true star. Beyond that, the roster relies more heavily on projected development than on a large group of proven top-tier performers.
The encouraging part is that Cleveland may have assembled one of its most promising young cores in years.
The highest-upside players include:
* Mason Graham * Harold Fannin Jr. * Quinshon Judkins
Other intriguing young talents:
* Carson Schwesinger * Mike Hall Jr. * Cedric Tillman * Dawand Jones * Luke Wypler
Several of these players could realistically develop into Pro Bowl-caliber contributors within the next two or three years.
That represents a positive aspect of the organization’s current outlook.
Quarterback Situation
The primary concern remains the quarterback situation.
The position has not produced the long-term stability the organization has sought. Quarterback is widely regarded as the most important position in football, and despite years of spending, drafting, trading, contract restructuring, and other roster-building efforts, the Browns still do not have a proven franchise quarterback.
Ultimately, responsibility for that outcome rests in part with the General Manager and the broader leadership structure.
To be fair, the outlook is not entirely negative. The roster is younger, and there are legitimate reasons for optimism about the future.
But the central question remains:
Have the results from 2020 through 2025, and especially from 2022 through 2025, been strong enough to justify continued confidence in the current leadership?
Is it reasonable to spend at or near the top of the league for four consecutive years while producing results that rank near the bottom?
Verdict
By the end of 2026, Andrew Berry will have completed seven full seasons as General Manager. That is more than enough time for results to define the evaluation.
The Browns have some promising young talent and reasons for optimism, but the core facts remain unchanged: the team has produced one of the NFL’s weakest records since 2022 despite leading the league in spending, and it still lacks a proven franchise quarterback.
For that reason, 2026 feels like a decisive year.
If Cleveland posts a winning record and legitimately contends for the AFC North, the current leadership will have a strong case to continue building. If not, it becomes difficult to justify another extension based primarily on future potential.
Andrew Berry has made good moves and remains well respected around the league. But after seven seasons, the standard has to be results.
The bottom line is simple: if the Browns do not take a clear step forward in 2026, the organization should seriously consider a new direction.
California is not even trying to hide the cheating in their elections. This Country is moving closer and closer to having elections like the USSR. People vote and the elites decide. I hope everyone is watching and seeing what a cracker jack process election looks like. Cheating plain and simple.
It has been this way for as long as I can remember. We vote by mail and it is a week or two after the election until all the ballots are opened, signatures verified and votes counted. 80 percent of California votes by mail.
Could it be better. Yes, once a vote is received by the election office, it should be processed. This year a lot of people held onto their ballots until the last minute because if Bacerra did not really have a lot of name recognition or momentum. I was in the no billionaire club. That does not work. Swalwell flamed out over affairs and Katie Porter appears to have anger management issues. I turned my ballot in the Saturday before the election. It was reported that the ballot returns were slower than normal this year. I know why.
Do you have some evidence to support that when even trump doesn't have any? Of course you don't.
I'll do my best to explain this to you. Maybe read it slowly?
Karen Bass is the mayor of L.A. The vast majority f L.A. voters are Democrats. Running against a Republican would insure she would win by a landslide. Running against another Democrat will leave the election up for grabs. The best thing that could happen for Bass would have been for Pratt to have came in second over Raman and not the other way around.
Please at least try to engage your brain rather than just mindlessly repeating everything trump says.
I am sure they have written their election laws to ensure they are cheating legally. The longer they delay and count the more corrupt the process becomes.
The less evidence there is, the more sure you are.
Change the voting rules so anything goes and manipulate the system. Open your eyes and see what is happening. It is alarming to say the least.
The tit for tat rule-changing and redistricting that has been going on this election year is alarming.
Thinking MAGA Republicans have a chance for a state-level elected position in CA is comical.
I agree. The state is too infested with pansies, communists, crooks, and dumb asses.
If we were talking about DC, then my only argument would be that DC isn't a state.
IMO, the "pansies" in this convo are the ones that kicked off the current gerrymandering war, as well as the ones that respond in kind.
Former New Mexico AG says he was told to stand down in Epstein ranch probe
Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas first started looking into Epstein and the Zorro Ranch in 2019.
On desolate dry land, about 40 miles south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, sits a sprawling estate — mostly ignored by people passing by on the nearby highway.
The property, in the town of Stanley, is notorious for its former owner, the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who bought the property in 1993.
Now, the estate, known as Zorro Ranch, is back in the spotlight as state lawmakers probe Epstein’s alleged crimes at the home, what investigators may have missed and what federal authorities may have withheld.
The word “Zorro” appears nearly 14,000 times in files connected to Epstein released by the Department of Justice, but the land has never been searched by federal authorities, and unredacted files have not been turned over to the New Mexico Department of Justice for its ongoing investigation.
Federal investigators told New Mexico attorney general to stand down
Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas first started looking into Epstein and the Zorro Ranch in 2019.
Allegations of crimes committed at the property include rape, sexual assault of minors, forced births and eugenics, according to accounts from Epstein survivors, their diary entries, and from the millions of files released by the Department of Justice.
Months before Epstein was arrested in 2019, Balderas says he was well into building a state case and had just returned from interviewing an Epstein survivor when he received a call from the Southern District of New York.
"They were concerned that we were getting parallel interviews from the same survivors they were going to use in an aggressive prosecution as well,” Balderas told the Scripps News Group in April.
Balderas paused the state probe, saying federal officials had “the bigger hammer at the time.” In exchange, he says he was promised by then-Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Comey that the DOJ would share evidence about the case and allow Balderas to pursue state charges down the road.
That never happened and federal investigators never executed a search warrant on the property.
“I think that they absolutely impacted our case, and I don't think that they were forthright, and I don't they were operating in good faith," Balderas said.
Now, Balderas wishes he had continued to pursue the state case.
"We would have absolutely gone alone and bet on the case that we currently had at the time," Balderas said.
A buried tip
Around the same time Balderas was working the case, local radio host Eddy Aragon received an emailed tip from someone who claimed to have worked on the ranch, alleging the bodies of two foreign girls were buried “in the hills outside the Zorro.”
Aragon says he sent that tip to the FBI, and there was no follow-up.
A Scripps News search of the DOJ files shows the FBI didn't enter Aragon's report into the system until 2021 — two years after he submitted it.
"I don't think anybody investigated it,” Aragon said. “Would you think if we entered it three years later, like nothing was done?"
That tip never made it from the FBI’s desk in New York to Balderas’ office in New Mexico.
Balderas says he only learned about that email this year after Congress voted to release the so-called Epstein files.
“I’m very angry,” Balderas said. "They didn't meet the standard of what a good prosecution team should be working and collaborating with other partners.”
Epstein leased land from the state
The “hills outside the Zorro” mentioned in the allegation sent to Aragon could potentially refer to state land that Epstein leased from New Mexico, extending far beyond his estate’s property line.
That state-leased land would have fallen under Balderas’ jurisdiction to investigate.
Stephanie Garcia Richard oversees that land as New Mexico’s Commissioner of Public Lands. Her office initially discovered Aragon’s email in the released files.
"As soon as I saw that, my heart dropped," Garcia Richard said. “What if the allegations were true?”
When asked whether she had real concern that bodies could be buried on or near the Zorro Ranch property, Garcia Richard said the possibility exists.
"We do know there are missing individuals,” she said. “Those girls ... their bodies have not been recovered. So, you know, there is a potential there.”
The ranch was between 7,500 and 10,000 acres, but Epstein added a 1,200-acre buffer zone through a lease of land from the state. That additional land makes the search for those alleged buried bodies even more challenging. The 2023 sale of the property to former Texas state senator Don Huffines could make a future investigation even more challenging.
“There has been a long span between 2019 and today. We don't know the state of the, you know, the evidence now,” Garcia Richard said.
State lawmakers seek answers
Now, a group of New Mexico state lawmakers are seeking more answers on alleged crimes at the Zorro Ranch and what authorities may have missed.
Republican State Representative Andrea Reeb is among four lawmakers on the bipartisan Epstein “Truth Commission” formed earlier this year. She feels Balderas should have taken more action when he was probing the case.
“You hear, ‘Oh, well, we didn't have the charges or the statutes to charge what the feds could have charged,’ but we had criminal sexual penetration of a minor for all different ages; one of them carries 18 years in prison. We had, may not have had trafficking of humans or sex trafficking charges, but we had enough that we could have definitely gotten some serious jail time on Mr. Epstein.”
Reeb says she would have indicted the case had she been told by federal officials to pause it.
She doesn’t accuse Balderas of wrongdoing, but said it was a missed opportunity.
Balderas counters that belief.
“We were still building a case,” he said. “We were as transparent as we needed to be at that time.”
For its part, the “Truth Commission” announced Monday it will issue 14 subpoenas in connection with its probe. The subpoenas are not directed at specific individuals but target the Epstein Estate, as well as banks and other entities tied to Epstein or related investigations.
Whether the Commission, the New Mexico DOJ or the federal government will get true justice for survivors is still very much an open question. But for many, justice starts with getting more answers.
“I'm convinced that those answers are not in the documents that have been released,” Balderas said. “But they're in the millions of documents that are currently being withheld.”
He has a chance to resurrect his career. If he does all the right things and goes all in on rehab and tries to help others from falling into that addiction. Good for him.
It could also reshuffle the draft.
I looked today at the rankings from "Draft Buzz" of the QB class. Wow. Outside of Manning, Moore and Sayin. It was all over the place.
The college season will reset the order and Sorsby could be in the mix.
At this stage it is a waste of time because so much can happen.
All we can hope for is that this class has a good number of guys that will carry a first round grade.
There are no guarantees on who the Browns can select.
It’ll happen very soon, and oil prices will come tumbling down," Trump said.
Nothing will come tumbling down fast. If the Straits were open tomorrow and the war over with a peace deal in place ... it would take months and months and months for prices to come down to anywhere close to where it was before. 9+ months at a minimum. That's just based on logistics and moving tankers - not looking at a bigger picture of resupplying reserves or companies taking advantage of the situation for profit.
When Will Iran War End? Trump Says US Will Declare 'Total Victory' In Two Weeks
Trump's remarks came after renewed strikes between Iran and Israel threatened to derail peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
US President Donald Trump suggested that Washington will declare “total victory" over Iran in the next two weeks, after renewed strikes launched by Tehran and Israel threatened to derail peace negotiations on Monday.
Speaking at a tele-rally for South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump said both sides were negotiating despite yesterday’s missile attacks, and that Iran was willing to “give us everything", including curbs on its nuclear programme, CNN reported.
“I think we are winning that battle, but you’re really going to win it over the next two weeks when we declare total victory. It’ll be a total victory. It’ll happen very soon, and oil prices will come tumbling down," Trump said.
This is not the first time Trump has made promises about ending the war in a two-week period. The initial ceasefire between the US and Iran, struck on April 7, was initially supposed to last two weeks, but key differences still remain for a final agreement.
President Donald Trump has formally tapped acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to take on the top law enforcement job on a more permanent basis, sending his nomination to the Senate on Monday.
Blanche – formerly one of Trump’s personal lawyers – would succeed Pam Bondi, who was fired in April.
The formal nomination now tees up the Senate confirmation process. Blanche will need just a majority vote to get confirmed, though his role in handling the Jeffrey Epstein files and in the attempt to create a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to benefit Trump’s allies could complicate the vote.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley indicated he will support Blanche and move quickly on the nomination.
“Blanche is well-qualified and has shown his dedication to restoring law and order across our country. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s work to process Blanche’s nomination is underway,” Grassley said in a statement.
But just how quickly Blanche’s nomination could advance remains in question. Asked Monday how swiftly he could move the nomination through his committee, Grassley wouldn’t say.
Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the committee, indicated to CNN that he plans to ask Blanche questions about the “anti-weaponization” fund.
“I have a lot of questions, including that,” Cornyn said when asked if he wanted to hear more specifically about Blanche’s role in the fund.
GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana – whose recent primary defeat has led him to become one of the most critical Republican voices on Trump’s recent push for the DOJ fund – is signaling that he still has major issues with Blanche.
Asked repeatedly on Monday night whether he could support Blanche, the senator offered the same line: “I have to be convinced that Todd is not the president’s personal attorney who happens to be attorney general – but that Todd is attorney general who used to be the president’s personal attorney.”
Asked by CNN about Trump’s recent remarks reiterating his support for that fund - despite Blanche’s own insistence that the fund is dead – Cassidy said: “Of course, that’s concerning.”
Cassidy said “we shall see” when asked what he could do to rein in the White House on the matter.
Active as acting AG
Serving as acting attorney general, Blanche has secured indictments against some of Trump’s personal foes like former FBI Director James Comey, rolled back gun control measures and issued subpoenas to journalists for their sources. He’s also announced sweeping fraud initiatives across the country, which work hand-in-hand with the White House’s “war on fraud.”
But critics, citing those same efforts, say that Blanche has effectuated the president’s personal and political agenda to use the Justice Department as his own attack mechanism.
The nomination comes in amid pushback against Trump and Blanche over the proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate people who say they were wrongly prosecuted by the government. The fund was initially announced as part of a settlement between the Internal Revenue Service and the president, his adult sons and the Trump Organization.
Republicans on Capitol Hill revolted over the fund — with many especially anxious over the potential for January 6, 2021, rioters to get payouts.
Blanche essentially had to disavow the idea last week, and the Justice Department told two federal judges the plan is dead. However, several lawsuits are ongoing against the settlement.
Blanche, for his part, has vociferously stated his desire for the job and his support for the president. In a press conference just after he was appointed acting attorney general, Blanche told reporters that working for Trump is “the greatest honor of a lifetime.”
“If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say: ‘Thank you very much, I love you, sir,’” he said.
Epstein files and Maxwell interview
Blanche will also face questions about how the Justice Department handled the Epstein files and his interview with Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
According to a transcript of her recent interview with the House Oversight Committee, Bondi repeatedly said that Blanche was responsible.
“He was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files,” Bondi said when asked for her role in the department’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
DOJ has released approximately 3 million files compelled by Congress, but Bondi was pushed to explain why another 3 million still have not been released.
Blanche also will be asked about his interview with Maxwell he conducted last year. Shortly after, Maxwell was transferred to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas. The Justice Department has said the Bureau of Prisons is responsible for the move.
I'm also hopeful that Mason Graham keeps ascending.
And.. Schwesinger! I agree, this young core could be very good for the next 8 years or so. We will need to get younger at corner in the next few years, but right now, they are top notch.
Without a doubt, I believe the Browns defense is a good defense, but the level they played with Myles is something I don't think people are factoring in.
OC was game-planning strictly to neutralize Garrett. Their play calling was limited. Verse will not receive this same attention. Compare Verse and Garrett vs the 49ers Trent Williams. Yes, the stats are similar, but watch the overall play from the 49ers offense. You will find the 49ers used way more of the playbook against the Rams than against the Browns.
You can say the Rams defense isn't as good as the Browns, but Myles's play reduces or camouflages the weaknesses. The fact that offenses were limited on what plays they ran. It made it easier for the other players.
In my opinion, the defense is ranked 12th and not first or second. With the offense having average QB play at best, there is nothing to compensate for the decline in the defense.
I predict the Browns' secondary will be exposed. Berry has not added significant talent to the secondary since Grant Delpit. Martin Emerson, but he is gone. Campbell is a big question mark. You can say McNeil-Warren, but he hasn't even put on pads yet. Who is the slot corner? What happens when teams can use the TE on pass routes instead of blocking Garrett?
Teams won't have to motion guys to slide protection toward Myles. How does the Browns defense handle play action? There are a lot of questions that need answers before we can say this defense won't be affected much without Garrett.
Garrett impacted the game way more than stats will show.
We need a QB. That leads me to thinking I would take a shot on Sorsby in the supplemental. I don't have any clue what sort of draft pick it would involve. That doesn't mean we give up on Sanders. It doesn't mean we still don't draft a QB in next years draft.
Its simply a result of screwing around with the position for the last 25 years and we finally decided to load up on as much young talent as possible at the position.
Originally Posted by Ballpeen
I was thinking a 4th, but again, I don't study it enough to place a risk reward factor on the matter. I know I wouldn't go with a 2nd rounder and have reservations about a 3rd round pick.
As you said, a 4th seems like a reasonable walk away price if it came down to that.
Originally Posted by GMdawg
A 7th is to High. The LAST thing we need is Art Schlichter JR
Apparently, Todd Monken agrees with GMdawg.
This is what was reported over the weekend by Pete Mundo:
Speaking with reporters, Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken shut down any notion that Sorsby was under consideration by the organization.
Monken - “That’s not even come across my desk,” Monken said. “I like the quarterbacks that we have. I think that’s a slippery slope, when you go down that [road]. Irrespective of talent, in terms of the situation [Sorsby’s] put himself in, we all know what that is. He put himself in that situation. And we’ve seen in other sports with players that have been banned for life from playing in professional sports.”
Monken’s comments are among the strongest public remarks made by a coach regarding Sorsby’s situation since reports emerged surrounding the Texas Tech quarterback’s alleged involvement in sports gambling activities. The Browns entered the offseason with significant questions at quarterback, leading some observers to wonder whether the franchise could explore unconventional options. Monken’s comments suggest that is not under consideration.
So, there's that. Of course Monken isn't in charge of personnel until it comes down to the final roster. Berry could be thinking something different. I would be surprised if he didn't at least involve the HC if he was considering it.
Sorsby just had his appeal denied on Friday, but he still has a pending lawsuit against the NCAA. He had a judge rule in his favor, which at least temporarily re-instates his eligibility to play in 2026 at Texas Tech. I don't know if he would apply for a supplemental while that lawsuit is going on or not. He would have to do so though for the NFL to even think about having a supplemental. They don't just automatically do it. He has unto June 22nd to apply for the supplemental, then the NFL decides whether to hold it or not based on circumstances. As of today.. he is eligible for the NCAA, so no supplemental, I would assume.
I don't want Art Sliester either. No doubt there is some risk.
As for Monkens statement....maybe it is a straight up comment, maybe it is smoke? I don' think we would want to advertise we want him.
It's a moot point now. The 4th District Judge in Texas granted his submission. He is cleared to play at Texas Tech this year with a two game suspension. We can reconvene this convo next year for the draft.
