Politics

Two months back, in a series of lengthy exposes (see here and here), we profiled the ins and outs of the “petrogold” trade that allowed Iran to skirt international sanctions that froze Tehran out of the banking system by way of conduits and shady go-betweens in Turkey and Dubai.

The tale is long and winding and should probably be adapted for the silver screen, but really, the mechanics were pretty simple. Couriers simply carried briefcases full of bullion through Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport and flew to Dubai where the gold was then carted off to Iran.

Authored by Michael Bloomberg, originally posted at BloombergView.com,

Americans today face a profound challenge to preserve our common values and national promise.

Wage stagnation at home and our declining influence abroad have left Americans angry and frustrated. And yet Washington, D.C., offers nothing but gridlock and partisan finger-pointing.

Greg Sargent points out a serious flaw in the anti-Trump Republicans’ plan to bring about a contested convention:

Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic caucuses in Maine by a double digit margin. The Vermont senator claimed his eighth Democratic nomination victory and needs to beat Hillary Clinton in the Michigan primary on Tuesday to stand a chance of winning the nomination. Should the Jewish, anti-establishment, holistic man from a humble background, whom the media desperately tries to ignore, win on Tuesday, then according to recent predictions, America and the world would #FeelTheBern and all will become one.

David Cameron's "Project Fear" plan to scare the British people into accepting European rule (and denying Brexit) is being exposed by more than just the usual realists (e.g. Nigel Farage). Despite dozens of self-serving military and business leaders siding with Cameron, The Telegraph reports, the head of one of the UK’s leading business groups dramatically resigned last night, accusing David Cameron of peddling "highly irresponsible" scare stories to keep Britain in the European Union.