Nicholas Slayton

@nslayton.bsky.social

21664 Followers 787 Following

Journalist. Contributing editor @TaskandPurpose.com . Bylines at New Republic, The Prospect, Motherboard, Wired, elsewhere. Was once insulted by Martin Shkreli. Signal: nslayton.12 Newsletter: letsdothepanicagain.beehiiv.com

CENTCOM began conducting a new wave of strikes against Iran at 7 p.m. ET today for the ninth consecutive night. The strikes will continue degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Yesterday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the passing of two U.S. service members and the missing status of one in Jordan following an Iranian attack on July 17. After a thorough search, U.S. military personnel found unidentified remains at the location earlier today. An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing. Separately, a U.S. service member in northern Iraq was killed in action July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. A second service member was wounded and continues to receive medical treatment for a minor injury. CENTCOM is withholding additional information, including the identities of the missing and fallen warriors, out of respect for the families during the notification process.
The Invisible Children Guys from Kony 2012 if you all remember that, it had weird evangelical ties too, holding AKs and RPGs
At 4:45 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief's direction. These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
An oddly realisticly depicted Marvin the Martian emerges from a portal to a surprised and confused Martian Manhunter
"President Trump made his feelings very clear yesterday in no uncertain terms. Iran's attacks on these innocent vessels are acts of terrorism. The MOU is performance-based, and Iran's actions constitute failed performance at an unacceptable level", the U.S. official said.-Axios
U.S. Forces Complete New Round of Retaliatory Strikes Against Iran July 7, 2026 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran, July 7, hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran's latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor. Iran recently attacked three commercial vessels transiting the strait including Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity. The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation. CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed.
U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway. The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.
Dean Stockwell singing in Blue Velvet
Werner herzog with a speech bubble
Seth cohen saying first of all, no. Second of all, uh, no
U.S. Strikes Iran in Response to Attack on Commercial Vessel June 26, 2026 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted strikes against Iran, June 26, as a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites after Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone. The Singapore-flagged cargo ship was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast at the time of Iran’s attack. The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire. Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor. CENTCOM forces continue to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait. The U.S. military remains present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect.
My political compass results saying my closest match is Zohran Mamdani HELL YEAH SOCIAL DEMOCRACY!!!!!
Southcom tweet from late June 21/early June 22: On June 21, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed during this action, and there were six male survivors. Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivors. No U.S. military forces were harmed.
June 23 2022 tweet by Dreamy Empire that says: "Every Latin America election be like : Fernando Indiano : leader of a coalition of trade unions, indigenous groups and a coalition of progressive parties 50,1% Felipe Heinrich Mengele III : Nazi drug lord 49,9% 1:44 PM · Jun 23, 2022"
shinzo abe see you space cowboy meme because he got shinzo abe'd by a doohickey dot jpg
Binyamin Applebaum telling Buttigieg that pete, a former McKinsey guy, worked for a company that fixed bread prices
412th Test Wing EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying eight people on a routine test mission crashed today shortly after take-off at 11:20 a.m. (PDT). Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable. Emergency response personnel are on scene, and officials are working to account for all personnel. The crash is currently under investigation. A press conference is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. (PDT). Contacts: Chase Kohler, 661-810-6611, or 661-494-2203, or Mike Paoli, 661-494-2203
the main four of stargate sg-1
The lead inspector general report, published May 20, primarily focuses on Jan. 1-March 31 but discusses the operation as a whole. In it, the inspectors note that SOUTHCOM “said that it could not publicly release its measures of effectiveness for assessing the conduct of OSS” and that the operation’s mission statement is classified. Despite that, the report — which cites interviews and documents from SOUTHCOM and the military — does offer parameters of what falls under the operation. Primarily, the report says, Operation Southern Spear “primarily involves lethal airstrikes against small boats suspected of shipping illegal narcotics in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.” The inspector general’s paper also says that some related efforts in Latin America are distinct from and do not count as a part of Operation Southern Spear, including ongoing non-lethal interdictions by a multinational task force led by the U.S. Coast Guard, the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers and the Jan. 3 attack on Venezuela. It also notes that U.S. military involvement in Ecuador in support of that country’s anti-narcotics operations is not a part of Southern Spear.
LA mag's election issue with an AI generated cover of Pratt and nithya Raman. The AI Raman does not look like her. They are presented close together like a couple
Seth cohen from the oc saying first of all, no. Second of all, umm, no
Classic The onion article "fuck everything, we're doing five blades" dot jpg
Thomas friedman: We needed to go over there, basically, and take out a very big stick right in the heart of that world and burst that bubble.… What they [Muslims] needed to see was American boys and girls going house to house from Basra to Baghdad and basically saying "Which part of this sentence don't you understand? You don't think we care about our open society? You think this bubble fantasy, we're just going to let it grow? Well, suck on this!" That, Charlie, is what this war was about. We could have hit Saudi Arabia! It was part of that bubble. We could have hit Pakistan. We hit Iraq because we could. Interview with Charlie Rose, May 30, 2003.
The Air Force report, which Task & Purpose obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, detailed the 25-year-old Bushnell’s military service dating back to his years working for the National Security Agency as a cyber security specialist through interviews with his therapist, friends, and colleagues. That Bushnell’s death was ruled “In the Line of Duty” and then overruled by Noyes has not been previously reported. Nor have the extensive details of Bushnell’s life compiled in the 1,000-page investigation, including a resume indicating Bushnell worked at a NSA signals intelligence hub on Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, a position for which he had a Top Secret clearance and was vetted with a polygraph.
The Air Force report, which Task & Purpose obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, detailed the 25-year-old Bushnell’s military service dating back to his years working for the National Security Agency as a cyber security specialist through interviews with his therapist, friends, and colleagues. That Bushnell’s death was ruled “In the Line of Duty” and then overruled by Noyes has not been previously reported. Nor have the extensive details of Bushnell’s life compiled in the 1,000-page investigation, including a resume indicating Bushnell worked at a NSA signals intelligence hub on Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, a position for which he had a Top Secret clearance and was vetted with a polygraph.
Post from the Wall Street Journal: A supertanker docked in Long Beach just delivered California’s last incoming shipment of Middle Eastern oil, a milestone for drivers already paying the nation’s highest fuel prices. 🔗 on.wsj.com/4dfUEv9
The Smashing Machine director and snubbed for best supporting actor at the oscar Benny Safdie as Agammemnon in nolan's THE ODYSSEY
Gottlieb in pacific rim in front of a blackboard doing his speech about double events
‘Too much travelling, takes too long, too expensive’: Trump US President Trump has addressed the media after cancelling the Pakistan trip by his mediators to discuss the situation with Iran. “I think Pakistan is terrific, I think the field marshal is fantastic, I think the prime minister is great. And you know they’d like to see something happen, but we’re not going to be travelling for 15 or 16 hours to have a meeting with people nobody has heard of before,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Florida. “Too much travelling, takes too long, too expensive. They weren’t meeting with the leader of the country. They were meeting with other people, and I said we’re just not going to do it.”
The Guardian International front page headline as of 4 pm PT on April 18, with the headline "Middle East crisis live: Trump leaves Situation Room to golf as ships report attacks and Iran closes strait of Hormuz"
A utility box with "gas costs too much" written on it
A 10:23am ET 4/13/2026 Trump post on Truth social claiming "Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated - 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, “fast attack ships,” because we did not consider them much of a threat. Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal. P.S. 98.2% of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT"
A Space X falcon 9 rocket flies over downtown LA, creating a trippy trail behind it
Two side by side posts in my feed, the above being starshine writing [Ben Grimm as The Thing voice]: Its ramen’ing time Below that a post by magnificent quote tweeting a post showing a fuckton of noodles in a stove, in the oven, oh god there are so many noodles
October 2016 Deadspin article (when deadspin was good, go subscribe to defector) titled "what is the point of Tim Kaine?"
U.S. Continues Strikes into Iran After Successful Rescue of F-15E Aircrew TAMPA, Fla. — On April 4, U.S. forces successfully completed the rescues of two American service members from Iran after their F-15E fighter jet was shot down April 2 during a combat mission. The service members were safely recovered during separate search and rescue missions. U.S. strikes into Iran continue as U.S. Central Command forces dismantle the Iranian regime’s ability to project power beyond its borders.
FROM PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND! This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue. At my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine. This miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation. This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory.
Maduro in the Nike tech fit
Thurston Moore of sonic youth on space ghost coast to coast introduced as Fred crackling and not getting a word in because the episode was a tribute to a better musician, sonny sharrock
Please wait patiently for the failure of the system
The "i consider mids loud" tweet
The term “boots on the ground” is an inherently vague euphemism that U.S. military leaders and elected officials from both parties frequently use to refer to a range of different types of deployments. It can refer to invasions, such as the start of the Iraq war in 2003, and surges of troops to combat zones, such as the Iraq surge in 2007, followed by the Afghanistan surge that began in late 2009. It can also be used to describe more limited deployments of special operations troops to train and fight with local forces and other service members to coordinate U.S. airstrikes, as was the case when the military campaign against the Islamic State, or ISIS, began in Iraq in 2014 and then in Syria the following year.
Retired Col. Joe Buccino, former head of communications for Central Command from April 2020 to August 2023, said that a lot of the bunkers and shelters at Middle East bases are “fairly unimpressive,” and are made up of concrete T-walls that were put up after the invasion of Iraq. The majority of shelters, he said, have “never been terribly fortified,” but some bunker complexes do exist. “A lot of the hardened shelters really are outdated and could be defeated if enough missiles get through the defense system, so I think this is a good move,” he said.
Dune 3 poster art with the simpsons text "money can be exchanged for goods and services"
The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting routine operations in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. An integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific to conduct routine training that ensures the continued warfighting readiness of Navy and Marine forces operating in the area.
Will Smith in the suicide squad saying so that's it huh, we're some kind of suicide squad?
Statement on the KC-135 Incident March 14, 2026 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAMPA, Fla.- U.S. Central Command Spokesperson U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins provided the following statement: Out of respect for our Gold Star families, we ask for media outlets and journalists to exercise patience and abstain from publishing reports on fallen service members until the formal investigation and notification processes are completed. We remain fully committed to providing at the appropriate time additional information accurately and transparently, while respecting the privacy of our grieving families. The investigation into this incident is ongoing.
Loss of U.S. KC-135 Over Iraq March 12, 2026 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire. More information will be made available as the situation develops. We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members.