Quite gorgeous and mesmerizing. via My Modern Met & agnes-cecile

President Donald Trump was criticized after announcing that two new flagpoles would be added to the North and South Lawns of the White House—not the greatest look amid heightened global unease as tensions between Israel and Iran ramp up.
According to the Associated Press, Trump watched as a crane installed the newest flagpole on the South Lawn, remarking, “It’s such a beautiful pole.” He later returned to the site to salute as the American flag was raised for the first time.
A second flagpole has been installed on the North Lawn near Pennsylvania Avenue. Together, the towering additions represent the most prominent changes to the White House exterior since Trump resumed the presidency and began pushing forward with his vision to reshape the building.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared:
“It is my Great Honor to announce that I will be putting up two beautiful Flag Poles on both sides of the White House, North and South Lawns. It is a GIFT from me of something which was always missing from this magnificent place.” ...
“These are the most magnificent poles made - They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality. Hopefully they will proudly stand at both sides of the White House for many years to come!”
You can see his post below.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
The announcement came just hours after Trump publicly demanded the “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following a series of Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks on Iranian officials Friday that triggered retaliatory strikes from Tehran.
On Tuesday, Trump claimed the U.S. knows “exactly” where Khamenei is located but added he wouldn’t be targeted “at least not for now.” The following day, Khamenei dismissed calls to surrender and warned that any U.S. involvement would result in “irreparable damage” to its forces.
Amid all this, many found Trump's focus on his flagpole display rather than brokering a diplomatic solution to avoid greater conflict to be profoundly inappropriate.
Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether to involve U.S. forces directly in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing what he called a “substantial chance” for renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.
Since hostilities began last week, at least 657 people have been killed in Iran—including 263 civilians—and more than 2,000 have been wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights organization.
In response to Israeli attacks, Iran has launched roughly 450 missiles and 1,000 drones toward Israel, according to the Israeli military. While most were intercepted by Israel’s advanced air defense systems, the strikes have left at least 24 people dead and hundreds more injured.
President Donald Trump has a history of promising to resolve problems within "two weeks," and a new viral supercut mocks him for all the times he's said as much—including right now with tensions in the Middle East higher than ever.
Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether to involve U.S. forces directly in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing what he called a “substantial chance” for renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted the following from Trump to reporters during the daily White House press briefing:
"Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."
She added:
"That's a quote directly from the president, so we'll kick it off for questions."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
CNN last month highlighted Trump’s repeated use of a two-week timeline—an oft-cited deadline he has rarely met.
In a supercut aired by host Kasie Hunt, multiple clips show the president promising action “in about two weeks,” only for those dates to come and go without follow-up.
In one clip from April 27, Trump tells reporters he’ll soon decide on a course of action regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. When asked for a specific timeline, he replies, “Well, two weeks or less, or if it’s a little more at the time I’d say…” and shrugs.
In another video dated May 19, Trump again defers a response, saying he’ll provide answers “in about two weeks.” Hunt then points out that by May 28, the president once again dodged questions on the conflict by repeating the same vague timeline.
Nearly a month later, no follow-up action or comment has been issued, and there remains no sign of progress toward a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Those clips have now gone viral again in the wake of Trump's latest "two weeks" promise.
Many have criticized Trump in response.
None of this should come as a surprise though—this is, after all, the same guy who said on a debate stage that he has "concepts of a plan."
A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.
People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."
Reddit user PayOptimal9051 asked:
"What’s a 'silent red flag' most people don’t notice in relationships?"
"The number of guys I've seen belittle a love of reading is way too high."
~ BJntheRV
"That would be such a huge red flag to me. Only dumb people don’t like to read. I don’t mean people with learning disabilities or people who never learned to read through no fault of their own."
"I will say that people who don’t enjoy reading at all, typically don’t match well with me on an intellectual level. Sorry, but it’s true."
"It’s one thing to not enjoy reading as a hobby for yourself, but people who actually belittle a love of reading in others are a red flag to me personally because, in my humble opinion, it says you aren’t intelligent enough to realize that you gain soooo much knowledge & vocabulary though reading."
~ Sanchastayswoke
"Not asking about you. Not asking a simple question like, ‘how are you doing’ or checking in if you mentioned being sick or hurt."
~ LadyMish
"The lack of conflict in a relationship ('we never fight') could either be excellent communication skills or that someone (maybe both people!) in the relationship aren't being honest about how they feel."
"Conflict is inevitable in a relationship. The trick is finding healthy ways of dealing with it."
~ GinGimlet
"My father-in-law is only allowed to like the things my mother-in-law likes. He used to do plenty of cool things that were fun for him, but no more."
"Now they both do only what she wants, and they do everything together. It's straight up uncomfortable to watch."
"I made it very clear to my wife early on that won't be our dynamic: of course we will have plenty of mutually enjoyable activities, but I support and encourage her to pursue other things as well and expect the same in return."
"Luckily, she wholeheartedly agrees."
~ schoh99
"One person always accommodates the other, which leads to a perceived absence of conflict."
"In reality, the partner doing the accommodating likely isn't having their needs met, while the partner who is always getting their way is likely to be perfectly happy with the situation."
~ all_neon_like_13
"When you share things in confidence, and then they turn around and weaponize it when there’s conflict."
~ glittering_entry_
"Belittling your hobbies. Hobbies are like the core thing someone does in their life. Most of the times it what makes them 'them', if you know what I mean."
"So belittling something you're passionate about is a red flag."
~ my_username_is_okay
"When you bring some issue up to them, and they counter with 'oh, but you do this'."
"You’ll be the reason for every negative thing they do. Because you do negative things they don’t bring up until you bring up theirs."
~ HyenaDependent2928
"Because they listen to argue, not to understand."
~ Striking_Voice3290
"Yes, this exactly. It’s so frustrating. And it also shows they take zero accountability. Whatever they do will always be someone else’s fault. And that’s immature."
~ HyenaDependent2928
"An ex of mine, who was productive and successful in her own life, became passive and pretty much useless a lot of time when I was around. It was especially noticeable when traveling—if I was driving and asked if she could find us somewhere to eat, she just...wouldn't."
"I'd have to pull over and do it myself, just like I had to do all the navigation and incidental planning. You want a relationship to be a team effort but often it felt more like babysitting."
"I realized after we broke up this had a lot to do with her relationship with her (single, very hard-working, and no-nonsense) mother. She would cast one of us in the role of parent and the other as the child."
"At home, she was normally the parent, acting very domineering and insisting on doing everything her way. But if we were out of the house, we would flip roles, and she would revert to being led like a 12-year-old."
~ military_history
"Like a guy that says they want a relationship, they love you, invites you to move in with them, and promises they won't lead you on..."
"BUT THEN..."
"Breadcrumbs you, only shows enough interest to get you naked, and otherwise barely speaks to you."
~ Classy-Catastrophe
"Can’t say most people don’t notice because I don’t know most people, but for me, it was a lack of initiative."
"That turned into a whole issue because I could not rely on them to be there for me in emotional times of need, but they fully expected me to be there for them, ALWAYS."
~ ckingbass
"Making assumptions about how you feel, and cementing them as fact without ever actually talking to you."
"It's being in a relationship with somebody that makes up your narrative, and isn't able to have the hard conversations."
"Because, spoiler alert, they're normally wrong about what they assume."
~ FiddleLeafFig3
"They put you last after their every want and need."
"In the beginning of my relationship, my ex went out to pick up breakfast I ordered for us. Usually, we’re good about double-checking it before we leave, but he said it was really busy at the restaurant, and he wanted to get out of there ASAP."
"When he gets home with the order, my food was missing. I tell him we should go back to pick it up (5-7 min drive away)."
"He starts groaning and whining about how he’s so hungry and doesn’t want to go back. I was halfway out the door with tears in my eyes before he decided to come with me to pick up the missing order so I could eat because he wasn't offering to share his with me."
"I brushed it off as him being hangry, but everything that followed years after... I’m just glad I’m out of it now."
~ Asleep_Umpire_2413
"When someone never apologizes, even for small things. It seems minor at first, but it shows they might not take accountability or be open to real communication over time."
~ findingbezu
"Pay attention to how they treat others. You may be the only person he/she doesn’t blow off and treats with respect."
"Yeah, you’re their special someone for now. As soon as you’re not as special anymore, they will blow you off the same way they do everyone else, but they will absolutely expect you to continue to treat them well."
~ serene_brutality
"Spin off: someone who treats everyone else, especially strangers, better or with more respect than you."
~ Affectionate-Play436
What's a relationship red flag you ignored?
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.
On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.
The teaser was captioned simply:
"Ted Cruz on Iran. Full interview tomorrow."
You can watch the clip here via YouTube or below via X:
The clip begins as Carlson asks Cruz:
"How many people live in Iran, by the way?"
Cruz responds:
"I don't know the population."
Carlson then asked:
"At all?"
Cruz reiterated:
"No, I don't know the population."
Seemingly surprised, Carlson responded:
"You don't know the population of the country you seek to topple?"
After again saying no, Cruz then asked Carlson:
"How many people live in Iran?"
Carlson informed the senator who is openly backing United States' aggression against the sovereign Middle Eastern country:
"92 million."
While some people dismissed Carlson's line of questioning, others refused to give Cruz a free pass on his complete ignorance of the people who would be affected by any U.S. attacks on Iran after deciding to back the Trump administration's tactics in the region.
Then after Cruz acknowledged the information, Carlson asked:
"How could you not know that?"
Cruz replied:
"I don't sit around memorizing population tables."
@Sebachambe/X
Carlson informed Cruz:
"Well it’s kind of relevant because you’re calling for the overthrow of the government. If you don't know anything about the country..."
Cruz, visibly upset interjected:
"I didn’t say I don't know anything about the country."
So Carlson pivoted to ask:
"Okay, what’s the ethnic mix of Iran?"
Cruz replied:
"They are Persians and predominantly Shi'a [Islamic]."
According to World Atlas, Iran is a multi-ethnic, multi-religion nation. Persians at roughly 51% are the largest ethnic group, followed by Azeris at 24%, Kurds at 7%, and the Gilakis, Mazandaranis, Arabs, Baloch, Lurs, and Turkmen each comprising smaller percentages.
Shi'a Islam is the second largest sect of Islam at ~10% which is way behind Sunnī at ~87%, but Shi'a is the majority sect in Iran. According to Iran Safar, Islam is the official state religion, but Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity are also officially recognized as minority religions. Baha'i, Mandaeism, and Yarsanism are also practiced in the county, but are not officially recognized by the government.
After Carlson asked what percentage of the population was Persian or practiced Shi'a Islam, things devolved into the men shouting at each other.
Carlson told Cruz:
"You don’t know anything about Iran!"
"You’re a senator who is calling for the overthrow of the government and you don’t know anything about the country!"
Cruz countered:
"[You claim] they’re not trying to murder Donald Trump!"
A Trump assassination plot is the unsubstantiated conspiracy theory the Trump administration is using to justify joining Israel in escalating hostilities in the region.
It harkened back to the Bush administration's justification for invading Iraq. It, like "weapons of mass destruction," ultimately failed to pass the "credible threat" versus "rumors and wishful thinking" test.
Cruz also yelled about the Trump administration's assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January of 2020.
@_e_tto/X
Carlson stated Cruz didn't really believe Trump was in danger, responding:
"I’m saying you don’t believe they’re trying to murder Trump because you’re not calling for military strikes against them in retaliation."
Cruz then claimed:
"We are carrying out military strikes—today!"
But Cruz immediately tried to walk back his words, saying the United States was only supporting Israel, not directly attacking Iran.
Carlson, at the end of the clip, stated:
"This is high stakes."
"You’re a senator—if you’re saying the United States government is at war with Iran right now, people are listening."
The clip was undoubtedly chosen to entice people to watch Carlson's content—something Cruz whinged about on X, trying to get Trump's supporters on his side.
@tedcruz/X
But as much as Cruz tries to ingratiate himself with Trump and his MAGA minions, the man dubbed the most hated person in Congress—by his fellow Republicans—just isn't that popular.
Multiple people fact-checked/trolled Cruz using X's generative AI chatbot Grok.
@whatevervisions/X
@GroksHandler/X
Cruz is even less popular than Carlson.
@texan77581/X
Some people, on the other hand...
The Tucker Carlson Show released the full episode on Wednesday.
Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."
Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.
On Tuesday, Trump escalated tensions with a series of social media posts in which he demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” He also declared that “We now have total and complete control of the skies over Iran,” fueling speculation that U.S. military involvement may be deeper than previously disclosed.
The irony here is that Trump previously accused Obama of wanting to start a war with Iran and has for years been critical of the 2015 nuclear deal to limit Tehran's ability to enrich uranium and create nuclear weapons. Trump went so far as to withdraw from the nuclear deal during his first presidency.
And as we know with Trump, there's always a tweet, like one he wrote in 2013 criticizing Obama's "inability to negotiate properly."
He said:
“Remember that I predicted a long time ago that President Obama will attack Iran because of his inability to negotiate properly—not skilled!”
You can see his post below.
Trump was swiftly called out.
The latest developments come as U.S. officials were engaged in nuclear negotiations with Iran when Israel launched a surprise offensive last week, striking Iranian nuclear and military targets.
Israel has defended the operation as a necessary step to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons—something it considers an existential threat. Iran, meanwhile, insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
Iran’s Health Ministry has reported over 200 deaths from the Israeli strikes, while the Human Rights Activists News Agency, an independent monitoring group, estimates the toll at 585 based on nongovernmental sources. In response, Iran has fired 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones toward Israel, according to the Israeli military, killing at least 24 people and injuring hundreds more.
With Israeli airspace still closed to commercial flights, tens of thousands of travelers remain stranded—some unable to leave the country, others struggling to return. The Transport Ministry estimates that as many as 150,000 Israeli citizens are currently abroad.