This morning’s news that Israel has massacred “at least” another 40 Palestinians barely rates a mention by ABC News online, with the report far down its front page, below a story about a Kenyan triple Olympic gold medalist who wears a “special, body-mapped 3D-printed bra and a drag-reducing headband too.”

Top billing went to Israel’s war against Iran, headlined “Benjamin Netanyahu claims ‘historic win’ as Iran-Israel ceasefire appears to hold.” The “live” report continues: ‘A shaky ceasefire between Israel and Iran began to take hold on Tuesday amid pressure from US President Donald Trump, raising hopes for an end to the war between the Middle East arch-foes.’

That would be the US President who unilaterally bombed Iran on Israel’s behalf just days earlier. Looks like Orwell was right: War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength. Donnie Diaper really does want that Nobel Peace Prize he has obsessed about for years. And, as it turns out, Pakistan did nominate the Mango Mussolini for his “decisive diplomatic intervention” after an outbreak of tit-for-tat violence between India and Pakistan a few months ago. But, just yesterday, a Ukrainian nomination was withdrawn because, according to Newsweek, ‘peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow slip under the radar and the president keeps his sights fixed on the Middle East.’

Newsweek continues: ‘Ukrainian officials and international observers have watched Trump engineer a rapprochement with the Kremlin, the White House looking reluctant to impose sanctions on Russia even as Trump publicly floated a feeling that Russia was “tapping” the American negotiators along.’

What was it that Donald J Caligula declared way back in 2023? (And doesn’t that feel like a feckin’ eon ago!): “I know Zelensky, I know Putin, it’ll be done within 24 hours, you watch.” Well, we’re still watching and so is CNN, the news outlet reminding us of the 53 times Trumpty Dumpty said he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

As for the Israel/Iran “ceasefire” that the orange idiot prematurely announced yesterday when neither country had agreed to any such thing, Israel bombed Iran again anyway and, naturally, Iran responded likewise.

Hilariously, Nine News (or is it Nine Entertainment?) reports that ‘In a furious blast during a brief press encounter on the lawn at the White House on Tuesday morning (late Tuesday night AEST), the president said Israel and Iran “don’t know what the f— they’re doing. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing,” he said, before adding “Do you understand that?” and storming off to board Marine One.’ Yet, just three days ago, peacenik Trump bragged he had ‘obliterated’ three nuclear sites in Iran: “Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”

And speaking of obliteration, yesterday Iran’s health ministry reported that more than 600 civilians have been killed and over 4,700 wounded since Israel’s June 13 surprise attacks. In contrast, at least 28 Israelis have been killed by Iranian retaliation.

However, it seems Iran’s ability to produce nuclear warheads remains a thing, with a new US intelligence report claiming Iran’s nuclear program has only been set back a few months. Oopsie!

Among other media outlets, This Week suggests ‘Tehran might have moved the enriched fuel to a lesser-known and even deeper nuclear facility.’ Or is that just an excuse for more US bombing raids when Taco Trump changes his mind again? Gulf News reminds us that ‘Before the conflict, the IAEA [The International Atomic Energy Agency] said it had “no indication” of the existence of a “systematic programme” in Iran to produce a nuclear weapon. But without access to nuclear sites, the agency no longer has oversight.’

And why does the IAEA no longer have oversight? Because in 2018, as I noted previously, Donnie Diaper reneged on the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). So, mission not exactly accomplished. As for Bloodbath Bibi’s long-held desire for “regime change” in the Iranian Republic, that too has obviously failed.

It’s a funny if predictable phenomenon that has been repeated throughout history: attacks by one group against another generally result in the first group rallying around its leadership and digging in to defend itself, to oppose its foes, to hit back.

And them’s today’s learnings, kiddies, something neither Israel, the USA or Russia seem to have figured out.