MindMatrix

The objective of any defence reform is not to get everything right on day one, but to continuously assess, learn and improve. We tried a new model, gathered experience, evaluated its outcomes and identified areas that warranted refinement. There is nothing wrong with that.

Chairman of Tata Sons, Tata Motors, N. Chandrasekaran meets Italian PM Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Palazzo Chigi, residence of the prime minister of Italy.

One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was merely OK, in other states it was downright amazing, and in no state was it catastrophic. There was a genuine sense of optimism on our team: our people were showing up. So, I asked the smartest data guy I know, does that mean we're going to shock the world? "No," he told me. "We might do better than the polls suggest. But the data is telling us that a lot of Trump/Vance 2024 voters are pissed and planning to vote for the other guys. Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us." Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026. There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true. But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone. Another pollster—one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were: 1) End the war 2) Focus on cost of living/inflation 3) Put America First 4) Change our relationship to Israel Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. (She’s also a great person.) In the next few months, there's going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you. The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there. I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, “I told you so”: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.

The Navy Admiral who Pete Hegseth fired, Nancy Lacore, a 35-year Navy veteran, last night defeated her MAGA republican opponent to win a House seat - South Carolina District 1. Now he has to answer to her in Congress

Tonight, the American people sent a clear message — they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them, and leaders who offer concrete solutions to the challenges they face. These results were only possible because outstanding candidates stepped forward in every region of the country — including in areas once considered long shots. They came from different backgrounds and represented a range of political perspectives, but were united by shared values, a belief in public service, and a commitment to putting the people of their districts and states first. We also owe a debt of gratitude to the thousands of election officials and volunteers from both parties who helped ensure a smooth election and carried out one of the most essential functions of our democracy. While this administration has another two years in office, our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future.

BREAKING: Maldives police says Maldives opposition leader, fmr foreign minister & UNGA Prez Abdulla Shahid @abdulla_shahid has been arrested

The arrest of @abdulla_shahid is deeply concerning. Political dissent is not a crime. Arresting opposition leaders raises serious questions about democratic freedoms,the rule of law and the political direction of the Maldives. The international community must not remain silent.

In a strange incident, former Pakistani PM Benzir Bhutto claimed in a 2007 BBC interview that a British Muslim, Omar Sheik, murdered Osama bin Laden. The BBC edited out her comment, claiming later the editors were 'under time constraints' and had suspected she misspoke. The interview is still available on Al-Jazeera's YouTube due to an agreement with the BBC, but in the part where Bhutto makes the claim, the audio is muffled so you can't hear what she says. Omar Sheikh attended the London School of Economics, was suspected of being an MI6 asset, traveled to Bosnia to fight the Serbs in an MI6-backed 'convoy of mercy', and allegedly wired $100k to one of the 9/11 hijackers. He was convicted of murdering WSJ journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan. However, the conviction was later overturned under suspicious circumstances. Anyone know more about this claime by Bhutto?

There is no such thing as a short, 3-4 day military operation—if we strike Iran, they will respond. We have consistently underestimated the most basic reality: the enemy gets a vote. There is no military option that will persuade Iran to accept the U.S.’s terms for a deal—after 8 months of failing to restore order to the chaos it caused, the administration knows this— so what is the purpose of more strikes? If we strike Iran by targeting more of their leaders and/or energy infrastructure, Iran will retaliate by striking Gulf energy infrastructure & U.S. forces in the region. More American troops will needlessly die, & our energy prices will continue to skyrocket. Iran’s allies & proxies—like the Houthis, Iraqi militias, & possibly Bahraini groups—will attack Saudi energy infrastructure, the BAM/Suez, & will potentially attack the governments of Kuwait & Bahrain. We’re already unable to help the Saudis deter the Houthis—if we engage in kinetic combat against Iran, we’ll be even more incapable of assisting our already-weakened allies. More strikes won’t change the game. Walking away & declaring victory before Tuesday sets a positive tone for the elections & resets the parameters for negotiations with Iran. President Trump can avoid the escalation trap by walking away now, before the fog of war envelops the rest of his presidency.

BREAKING: Massive Ukrainian drone swarm attack against the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery in the Samara region of Russia. Several large fires can be seen raging at the oil refinery, with massive damages to the facility.