Russia has played an instrumental role in curtailing ISIS activities in various countries and as such has been a target of their wrath. From all accounts there have been warnings of ISIS activity in Russia both by Russian intelligence and US intelligence. The US went so far as to post on our embassy’s website in Russia warnings to US citizens in Russia to avoid large gatherings. While this was March 7 and the 48 hour warning had expired, that doesn’t make it any less prescient. The US also warned Russia, although the Russians seem to be denying that. Although at the time Putin tried to score propaganda points by dissing the warning. So to deny it ever happened now is rather weird.
What is rather odd as well is Putin’s effort to somehow try to connect Ukraine to this attack. ISIS has claimed responsibility and also posted video of the attack on their media channel. Yet Putin is intent on dragging Ukraine into the mix. That seems to me to be a rather dangerous move on the part of Putin. It will not make Russia any safer.
BBC Report:
ISIS in Russia:
103 comments:
The FSB is will have considerable incentive to force the ISIS operatives to confess to working with or for Ukraine. And they'll want the prisoners to keep that story up for their upcoming court appearances.
I s'pect those ISIS agents are going to regret allowing themselves to be taken alive. (They already lookin' kinda scuffed up in the head shots the court has released.)
Word's beginning to come in about the damages done to Russian warships over the weekend. Metro Turns out they got three hits (rather than the two originally reported). One vessel was "taken out". One received "critical" damages. Damage to the third has not yet been described.
I was wondering why they would have not done a suicide mission. They know what Russia is.
Yes, I can see the FSB working on them to confess to working for Ukraine. It might actually piss off ISIS though. They really want the credit.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainians will continue to chip away at Russian military capability.
The Russians may end up fighting a two front war after all.
Trump's negotiations have borne fruit. The relevant New York Appellate Court has reduced the bond required to stay execution on that half-billion dollar judgment to $175,000. And it's given Trump an additional ten days to come up with the bond. Near as I can tell they did not bother to claim there was any legal justification for caving to Trump's will.
Trump says he'll post the bond in cash and on time. (He seems pleased with his negotiations.)
That's supposed to be $175,000,000 ↑.
Some idiot sent a ship into a bridge in Baltimore. The bridge collapsed taking any vehicles on it with it.
Ok, it might not have been incompetence. There may have been some kind of mechanical failure on the ship. The lights were flickering on the ship before the crash.
The Ukrainians have hit a fourth Russian warship. Reuters Apparently disabled but not sunk.
I hadn't heard about that. Too busy with stuff to get a chance to check what's going on. We finally had some snow.
It seems like while Putin is busy with his missiles the Ukrainians are slowly taking out his navy.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it sounds like DeSantis and Disney have reached some kind of settlement of their differences. DeDantis probably finally wised up to the fact it really wasn't doing him much good.
DeSantis isn't running for President anymore. So, publicity about him screwing with the supposedly 'woke' corporation doesn't bring him any benefit.
Pushing the boundaries…
"WASHINGTON (AP) — Presumptive Republican presidential
nominee Donald Trump drew criticism Friday for posting a
video on social media that contains the image of a hog-tied
President Joe Biden painted on the tailgate of a passing truck.
"The Biden campaign was quick to condemn the video for
suggesting physical harm to the sitting Democratic president.
***
"'Trump is regularly inciting political violence and it’s time
people take him seriously — just ask the Capitol police officers
who were attacked protecting our democracy on January 6,'
said Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign’s communications
director."
AssociatedPress
Trump was okay with his followers yelling "hang Mike Pence" during the riot on Jan. 6th. This is no surprise.
They are right, it is time for people to dump Trump. He is no asset to our democracy. But then I have never thought he was.
It looks like Russia shot down one of its own fighter jets in Sevastopol a couple of days ago. The pilot survived. Oops.
"…chanting…"
More than merely chanting; they were actively hunting for Mike Pence. They had a scaffold erected outside; they had ropes; they were on the hunt. I've occasionally wondered how it would have worked out had they caught and hung Mike Pence.
"This is no surprise."
Nope; no surprise. In fact, I'm expectin' Trump to ratchet up this sort of thing as the campaign season goes along. He's gonna need to keep his base voters animated in preparation for his next attempt to seize power after he loses the upcoming election. (In spite of Trump's current lead in the polls and admittedly in contravention of the current conventional wisdom, I'm beginning to think that Biden's quite likely gonna be in position to win this next one walkin' away. (Hope I'm not just seein' what I want to see there). Assuming Trump sees that happenin' as well, he's gonna wanna try to start the revolution in November.) Plus, of course, Trump's got no self-control and he's gonna get more and more pissed as the various court cases develop in spite of his best efforts to derail and delay them. That's gonna lead him to more and more injudicious public rants. And when they don't work out well for him… Well, doublin' down is his go-to response for shit that didn't work out well the first time.
________________________________
"It looks like Russia shot down one of its own fighter jets in
Sevastopol a couple of days ago…"
I been wonderin' 'bout that. The Ukrainians hadn't claimed the kill, but the jet was consistently reported to have burst into flames before it started down. That description certainly sounded like a hit to me, but Ukraine wasn't bragging on it, so I had begun to wonder if they'd managed to take it out with one of those cheap-ass radar invisible FPV drones (loitering in the flight line perhaps) and didn't want to give away how they'd done it.
Russians shooting it down themselves sounds indeed much more plausible.
In fact, I'm expectin' Trump to ratchet up this sort of thing as the campaign season goes along.
And as he does so odds are he will lose some of those marginal supporters from the past.
Meanwhile, I get the feeling that Republicans in the House are slowly imploding the party. As they become more dysfunctional they erode their majority as well as the respect of average people. They seem to be painting themselves into a rather sticky wicket.
And as half of our government plays chicken with the other half the rest of the world is sliding further into a dangerous tailspin. The attack in Russia is only a harbinger of bad things to come from a resurgent ISIS. In this case the K offshoot. While Russia is distracted by Ukraine it will be an easier target for terrorist activity. As will the West.
The Ukrainians hadn't claimed the kill, but the jet was consistently reported to have burst into flames before it started down.
I saw a video and it went down in a perfect upside down death spiral shooting flames. The Ukrainian vlogger who reported on it said it was the Russian air defense that shot it down.
"…and it went down in a perfect upside down death spiral shooting flames."
Meaning, you didn't see the fire start either.
"I get the feeling that Republicans in the House are slowly
imploding the party."
Not sure how "slowly" that development is ripening. They're on vacation 'til the 9th and scheduled to go on vacation again on the 18th. I s'pose there could be some red vs red hostilities occur during those seven working days.
"They seem to be painting themselves into a rather sticky
wicket."
That may be a mixed metaphor.
It looks like Ukraine hit a major Russian drone factory and another oil refinery the other day..
Mike Johnson has come up with some kind of plan for Ukraine aid that involves loans and using Russian funds frozen in the US. The second, while poetic Justice, may not actually fly legally. In any case, the fight will continue to delay aid.
"Mike Johnson has come up with some kind of plan for
Ukraine aid…"
I've been following that. He's appeared at times to have been negotiating with himself, or, if one is feeling charitable, negotiating options with FoxNews. I finally figured out that he's trying to get Trump's attention (and figures Trump's keepin' an eye on FoxNews); tryin' to prompt some feedback on what Trump might allow.
My guess is that Trump's not takin' the bait, ain't tellin' Johnson squat, and so Johnson's gonna hit a wall on the 9th when his Trumpkan/Republican House members come back and it becomes suddenly and painfully obvious that he can't get a majority of them to support anything.
To that end I finally broke down and sent a message to my (Trumpkan/Republican) Congressman and more or less demanded that he sign that discharge petition soon as he gets back to Washington on the 9th. This'll probably just get me put on a nuisance mailing list, but I did it anyway.
Is there a list somewhere of who has signed the petition?
list somewhere
I googled around and found it too. It looks like my Representative already signed it.
Supplemental to…
"Mike Johnson has come up with some kind of plan for
Ukraine aid…" ↑↑
It would seem that, while Trump ain't been tellin' Johnson squat, the Biden administration has been quietly working 'back channels' to Johnson to try to keep him comfortable with the idea of somehow getting aid to Ukraine in the absence of assurances from Trump. Politico
The White House will do what it can, but ultimately it will be up to the House to move forward. If the domino's start to fall with a Ukrainian defeat it will be the House members who failed to act that will be responsible.
There are people out here who will remember.
The Ukrainians are claiming to have "badly damaged" eight Russian warplanes and outright destroyed six others in a drone attack at a Russian air base near Rostov-on-Don. AssociatedPress
Jack Smith (the Special Prosecutor) hasn't bothered to react to Judge Cannon's Thursday ruling in the Trump 'classified documents' case in Florida (a 'non-ruling' really).
I would have expected a reaction to there. (Quite probably something prosaic 'leaked' to the press.)
I s'pose there may yet be a reaction. Wouldn't particularly surprise me, in fact, if he soon takes the extraordinary step of asking the appellate court for a writ of mandamus, ordering her to rule on his motion, or maybe the even more extraordinary step of finally trying to have her removed from the case.
________________________________
Trump's new 'social network' corporation has already fallen below the initial public offering price of $43/share. Closed Friday at $40.49/share. Ain't even been a week.
The Ukrainians seem to have developed some nice long range drones capable of giving the Russians some serious problems.
The Russians also seem to be adept at giving themselves serious problems. There was another friendly fire incident where Russian planes took out their own forces. Apparently there was such a delay until the planes arrived that the Russian forces had moved into a target area they had called in hours before. Oops.
Trump's new 'social network' corporation has already fallen below the initial public offering price of $43/share. Closed Friday at $40.49/share. Ain't even been a week.
Doesn't sound like a very good buy to me.
"The Ukrainians seem to have developed some nice long
range drones capable of giving the Russians some serious
problems."
None too soon either. The Ukrainians are still working under the American rules of engagement. Won't allow strikes at the source of the incoming. Getting their own long range strike capabilities will help get the Ukrainians out from under rules that have effectively lost us two wars in a row.
In the interim: They still need battlefield ammo. And likewise they need resupplied on their anti-aircraft/anti-missile weaponry.
I'm hoping for a surge in signatures on the discharge petition starting early next week. I'm hoping a lot of congressmen got an earful from their constitutents over the Easter holidays.
I'm thinking that a discharge petition would also give Mike Johnson cover from his right flank. For those in the GOP who do not want to see another fight over the Speakership but do want aid for Ukraine it might be a reason to sign.
A further reason to sign the discharge petition would be that the aid to Israel provisions arguably would not pass the Senate again (not as they are anyway) on account of rising liberal and especially leftist opposition to the brutality of the Netanyahu government's military response in Gaza these past couple of weeks.
Aid to Israel is especially popular with the White Christer wing of the Trumpkan/Republican coalition (especially when Israel is being brutal to Muslims and/or Palestinians). The discharge petition will be their best chance to get it without restrictions.
________________________________
Changing subjects: News organizations weren't looking too hard for news over the weekend, so it's not got a lot of play yet. But, it appears there may have been shenanigans occurred during Trump's negotiations for the reduction in his bond in the New York courts. ProPublica Something 'bout how his lawyers may have out and out lied to the courts about him not being able to come up with that $464 million bond in the first place. Like maybe he could have made the bond but just didn't want to. (Which was pretty much my guess when he first made the plea for a reduction. I said then that he was just negotiating.) May be more gets said 'bout this in the coming week. Then again, there's more important stuff to be taking up the headlines. (Also, rich folks getting breaks on bonds in New York courts, breaks that'd be denied to poorer folks, ain't exactly a new and surprising development.)
A letter that appeared in my paper today that I thought rather amusing:
Former President Trump recently declared that Nov. 5 (Election Day) should be celebrated as "Christian Visibility Day". If his wish were granted, wouldn't he risk not being seen at all?
I've mentioned before that the Trumpkan/Republican coalition has already discovered that their preferred public policy agenda is not going to be accepted by a democratic majority in America. Their solution is not to change their agenda, but to abandon democracy. That project is well under way.
"And the emerging picture is that Republicans are remarkably
on-board with a president who isn’t answerable to Congress
and the courts — significantly more so than Democrats.
"And perhaps as significantly, very few Republicans seem to
strongly object to the idea.
***
"…57 percent of Republicans said it would be a good thing if
the president were named Trump."
WashingtonPost
Worth the read; not too long.
I think some have noticed the "project" you mention. This article's subject may be a reaction.
Ex-Officials Urge Curbing Presidential Power to Deploy Troops on U.S. Soil
The bipartisan group says the point is not about Donald J. Trump’s desire to invoke the Insurrection Act, but rather that current law gives all presidents too much unfettered power.
Meanwhile, the far right extremists who have been waging a war on abortion, have succeeded in Arizona in resurrecting a century-old law that bans nearly all abortions.
At some point in time I hope the women of America will realize that they are slowly being forced into some kind of "Handmaid's Tale" lifestyle.
"Meanwhile, the far right extremists…have succeeded in
Arizona…"
Likely what they succeeded in is securing Arizona's electoral votes for Joe Biden, plus securing yet another state constitutional amendment guaranteeing an Arizona woman's right to decide that question for herself.
I noticed that Johnson's Trumpkan/Republican 'followers' decided to not follow once again. (Are ya really a 'leader' if nobody follows?) Late yesterday they tanked a foreign surveillance authorization (FISA) bill that he was bringing back for its third try.
And so, it appears the Johnson's finally settled on a rather desperate plan for how to deal with his unruly Trumpkan/Republican alliance. He's gonna trot on down to Mar-a-Lago this coming weekend and very publicly kiss the ring. (Doesn't seem to me like a well thought out plan. Trump's still not gonna give him the clearances he needs to coax the Trumpkan portion of his Trumpkan/Republican coalition back into line.)
Trump's been booted off the Forbes' billionaires listing (actually, it's a listing of the 500 wealthiest people in the world, 'billionaires listing' is a shorthand nickname). This on account of his new Trump Media company, (a/k/a "Truth Social") closed yesterday at $32.41/share. Still dropping fast.
________________________________
Follow up to Lee C. @ Thu Apr 11, 05:36 am ↑↑: Johnson is supposedly gonna try again today to bring the FISA legislation to the floor for a vote--that'll make his fourth try. He wants to do it before he goes to Mar-a-Lago later today to kiss the ring. Be interesting to see if he can get it to the floor this time, and, if so, how he manages that.
This on account of his new Trump Media company, (a/k/a "Truth Social") closed yesterday at $32.41/share. Still dropping fast.
Maybe some investors have actually realized that the name is a misnomer.
It looks like it passed, with some Republicans still trying to muddy the works.
The House isn't necessarily done yet though. In a bid to stop the bill from going to the Senate, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., filed a procedural motion just before lawmakers left Washington for the weekend that if it's adopted would force the House to vote again on the measure.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, moved to dismiss Luna's effort, and the chamber is now slated to once again vote on the issue when members return next Monday.
Without the warrant requirement, the bill is expected to easily clear the Democratic-controlled Senate and the White House has expressed support for the renewal of the law as well.
"Maybe some investors have actually realized that the name
is a misnomer."
I believe most of the early purchases were by traders not investors, traders betting on the 'greater fool' theory of IPOs. Succinctly put, the idea is there are even bigger fools out there and a guy who buys first (especially where, as here, the initial offer of stocks was carefully limited in number), can catch a wave of even greater fools eager to buy into what seems like a rapidly rising stock (due to more people wanting to buy in early and a limited supply for sale right out of the gate--a perfectly legal stock manipulation by the way). Then the traders cash out before the inrushing second wave of buyers figure out they're the greater fools.
Doesn't seem like the first wave rolled out very far before it broke over, leaving a lot of early gamblers still stuck with the stocks which are now dropping in price day to day, never to see the high side of the original $43/share ever again.
________________________________
On a more relevant front: It seems that Iran's retaliation against Israel (for last week's Israeli attack on Iran's consulate in Damascaus, Syria) has sparked frantic outcries from the House Trumpkan/Republican coalition, especially their White Christer/Zionist contingent, for an immediate allocation of military aid to Israel. Apparently they hope to achieve this without having to take take up the foreign military assistance bill that's already passed the Senate, and without providing any military aid to Ukraine. (Don't think that's gonna work out for them, but we'll have to wait and see. Might know by Monday.)
Yes, there were Republicans on the morning talk shows pushing aid for Israel minus aid for Ukraine. Idiots. The only reason they got elected is because so many Americans aren't really paying attention to the fact that they are self serving people who would throw their country under the bus to get ahead. It's what they have in common with Trump.
"Yes, there were Republicans on the morning talk shows
pushing aid for Israel minus aid for Ukraine."
Eager, no doubt, to get on the talk shows. Their position is precarious (and not made easier by Trump's public praise for Johnson made prior to the Iranian attack--Trump may regret that now); they probably have only that one Sunday to promote their position. Johnson will probably select an option this week, maybe as early as today.
It remains to be seen whether he can craft an option that will pass the House, but he's gonna give it a shot. (And the discharge petition still lurks as a threat to his power position--195 signatures as of this morning--maybe more by tomorrow morning.)
"Small time investors" in Trump's new media company explain that God gave them the opportunity to invest in Trump. (They also believe the "deep state" is somehow behind the falling stock price.) WashingtonPost
(Quick read; and kind of amusing.)
Well, Mike Johnson made no discernible headway on submitting an Israeli aid bill, nor on submitting anything on aid to Ukraine. Neither were there any further signatures on the discharge petition. (Given the former, the latter is not surprising. The Trumpkan/Republicans, even those who support aid to Ukraine, don't wanna get out ahead of events.)
The House breaks for another ten day vacation on the 18th.
In a late development, after close of business in the House today, Johnson has unveiled a plan to break up the foreign military assistance issue into four (4) separate bills; one for Israel, one for Ukraine, one for Taiwan, and one addressing the crowds packing close on our Mexican border.
I can't see how he's gonna get that through the House. There's plenty enough votes in the Trumpkin wing to sink the Ukrainian aid right there. And without that the Senate won't go for aid to Israel, not without conditions and restrictions that the House's White Christer/Zionist elements won't accept. This looks to me like stupid on steroids, but it's Johnson's plan as of this evening. Politico (I'll not be surprised if this plan fails to even make it to the floor in the morning.)
"Small time investors" in Trump's new media company explain that God gave them the opportunity to invest in Trump.
I read that article with two emotions, sadness and pity. That people could be so deluded is incomprehensible. It's just mind boggling that so many people have been taken in by a modern day snake oil salesman.
In a late development, after close of business in the House today, Johnson has unveiled a plan to break up the foreign military assistance issue into four (4) separate bills; one for Israel, one for Ukraine, one for Taiwan, and one addressing the crowds packing close on our Mexican border.
That seems to be his go to move, split up the bills and see what sticks.
"That seems to be his go to move, split up the bills and see
what sticks."
I think that's a good way to get aid to Israel through the House only to have it die coming out, on account of liberal opposition in the Senate.
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It occurs to me that the Ukrainians will have noticed the high success rate Israel recently experienced in defending against Iran's air barrage. There are several significant differences which help explain this discrepancy in defense, but it won't be lost on them that one of the most significant differences is that the Israeli had sufficient ammo, and another is that the Israeli had air assets to launch against the incoming.
We should expect both those things to rate high on the Ukrainian wish list as we go into summer. Ammo and F16s.
I read that Johnson's drafts for aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan were exact copies of the language (and the sums) already approved by the Senate in their combined bill. (Except for the deletion of 'humanitarian' aid for Gaza.) The fourth bill contains new stuff to make the MAGA crowd happy.
That might pass the House, if Johnson can get it all on the floor.
Word is that the vacation time scheduled to start Thursday will probably be delayed until Saturday.
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…sadness and pity."
More fun to be amused.
Someone was spreading the rumor online, for fun, that the Vikings were going vegan at their stadium here in Minnesota. Not true but the reaction from the gullible really was amusing.
One commenter's reaction;
"Go woke and go broke."
In this case I felt both amused and pity.
"Trump Media wants to let insiders sell much earlier
than expected
In an SEC filing Monday morning, Trump Media & Technology
Group revealed plans to allow the future potential sale of
millions of shares currently restricted under the terms of
warrants held by investors that can be converted into shares
of common stock. Trump Media & Technology Group also
plans to allow shares held by company insiders to be sold
ahead of schedule. The filing notably includes all shares held
by the former president…."
YahooFinance (emphasis in original)
Current stock price $23.06/share and still falling.
Still no final language on Mike Johnson's four-part plan to fill the foreign military assistance supplemental appropriation. This means that, at a minimum, he's gonna run afoul of 'the 72 hour rule' for House votes under the standing rules, even if he holds 'em in 'til Friday. I guess that means Johnson's given up hope of getting his Trumpkan/Republican caucus in line (that or he's given up on getting a vote this week). Now he's gonna havta count on votes from Democrats.
The calculation of what's permissible has just changed.
Morning rumor mill in D.C. says Mike Johnson is having second thoughts on his four-part plan (or was anyway). Reactionary right-wing elements of his party are trying hard to get him to put in Trumpkan/Republican policy riders in that fourth section that'll kill off any Democratic support. Some questions whether he'll be able to hold out against their pressure.
Politico We may know as early as today.
"Trump Media wants to let insiders sell much earlier...
Always a bad sign when insiders want out. Lol!
One wonders whether the mom & pop investors will twig to it.
For Johnson it will probably come down to whether or not he can cut a deal with the Democrats. If he wants to keep his job.
That is actually as it should be. It is up to government elected officials to work together no matter what side of the aisle they are on. If they want to govern a democracy that is.
Marjorie Taylor Greene and her ilk do not.
"For Johnson it will probably come down to whether or not he
can cut a deal with the Democrats."
Oh, he can cut a deal right enough. The question is will he? Or does he want to get reëlected Speaker in the post-election Trumpkan majority instead? (Assuming, of course…)
In fact, the Democrats have talked about walking out on any motion to vacate--bringing down the number needed for a simple majority win--so Johnson can beat back a challenge by Marjorie Taylor Greene and her cohorts with only Republican votes. Thus saving him from the visual of reliance on Democrats to save his seat. But, he's not exactly in the business of giving the Democrats deals, so he's susceptible Trumpkan reactionary's arguments. He is one of them after all.
Johnson appears to have buckled before his hardliners. He's rewriting the fourth bill, the policy riders and now expects to release it later today and to hold a vote late Saturday (which means he's going to hold them in Washington long enough to comply with the standing 72 hour rule). That probably means he's expecting to pass the fourth bill solely with Republican votes (won't get Democratic buy in from the House Democrats and probably won't be acceptable to the Senate or the White House)
Looks like the fourth bill has been written and (in contravention of what I was reading elsewhere) it mostly tracks along with the Senate bill, just arranged different. The poison pills didn't make it into the final text. The Trumpkin reactionaries are up in arms and the White House has read the final version and said Biden will sign it "immediately" upon passage. (That means back through the Senate as well.) The poison pills have all been relegated to supplemental bill to this supplemental, which supplemental supplemental isn't even up for consideration along with these four 'related' bills.
So, Johnson, in the end, did stand up to his right-winger MAGA types after all.
And, if he can't get a vote scheduled on this set of bills--that discharge petition still lurks as an outstanding threat.
With so many bills floating around out there I've lost track. What exactly does the fourth bill consist of?
Found it. It looks good for Ukraine, but I won't hold my breath. Anything can happen.
I was just about to start a list. The unacceptable stuff is now in a fifth bill. Yes there are five now, the fifth not to be bundled with the first four, but to follow on their heels. (And probably not clear the Senate.)
So, the question now becomes: "Can the MAGA/Trumpkan wing of Johnson's Trumpkan/Republican coalition somehow prevent him from getting the four bills to the House floor for a vote?"
They've basically got three days now to figure out and spring some sort MAGA miracle.
They're trying.
They seemed to be mostly snarking at one another through the day.
That is, until the House Rules Committee working into the night had their Trumpkan contingent vote against sending the legislation on to the floor (three reactionaries whom McCarthy allowed on the Committee in his bid to gather together enough votes to make it to Speaker). The Democrats on the Committee voted to bail out Johnson's "rule", and so on to the floor it now goes. There the infamous 'Freedom Caucus' has already officially recommended that the Republicans should oppose the procedural vote known as 'a rule' (and thus try again to kill the legislation)
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But remember, Johnson ain't doin' the Democrats any reciprocal favors here. (Nor any favors for Ukraine for that matter.) He's a founding member of the Trumpkan/Republican White Christer contingent. And he can be primaried too. He badly needed to have his Bayou Bible Thumpers see him bringing military support to Israel. (They're lookin' to bring on Israel's final destruction in the Biblical Armageddon, and the subsequent 'replacement' of Israel's Jews with reactionary White Christers.)
So, while you and I are holding our breath and praying for the aid to Ukraine to clear, he's willing to allow that money to go to Ukraine because it means he also gets money for Israel so he won't get primaried in Louisiana.
Speaking of Israel; they got busy overnight in central Iraq. Johnson moved just in time.
That'd be "central Iran" ↑↑. East one more click.
"Ukraine said on Friday that its air defense had brought down
a Russian strategic Tu-22M3 bomber…"
DWNews
That'd be "central Iran" ↑↑. East one more click.
Actually, you may have been right the first time. There are reports of explosions at a base in Iraq that belongs to Iranian supporters. Perhaps the strikes in Iran were only part of Israel's response.
So, while you and I are holding our breath and praying for the aid to Ukraine to clear, he's willing to allow that money to go to Ukraine because it means he also gets money for Israel so he won't get primaried in Louisiana.
That's the art of the deal. Ukraine aid is vitally important. I would vote for aid to Israel as well if necessary to get that aid passed.
While I don't like Netanyahu or the level of destruction he is inflicting on Gaza, I don't like the Ayatollah's of Iran and their terrorist activities either. So I would not cut off aid to Israel.
"While I don't like Netanyahu or the level of destruction he is
inflicting on Gaza…"
I used to be able to argue that Israel were the good guys and Hamas were the bad guys, as was Arafat's PLO before the rise of Hamas. (And back then it did seem to be true.)
Netanyahu's since become the longest serving Prime Minister Israel has ever had, and during his tenure it's become increasingly hard to argue that Israel are good guys, or that there are any good guys left in this particular fight.
I think we can lay that change at Netanyahu's feet.
Agreed. Netanyahu is Israel's manifestation of the far right, like Trump and the MAGA Republicans are ours.
Those people in the US who are considering withholding their votes from Biden in protest over Gaza should consider carefully what they may get instead.
They seem to be voting in an order on the bills which I would not have chosen, leaving the Ukraine bill for last.
I hope there is no last minute sticking point.
It looks like they are actually voting on Ukraine now.
310 - 111 for so far.
Kudos to those 102 Republicans who voted for the aid to Ukraine.
It's still less than half of their caucus.
I know, the majority of Reublicans voted against. But it was still a true bi-partisan agreement.
I also think you are right, we can thank Iran for getting this over the finish line.
Ironic, considering they are Putin's allies.
Chuck Schumer's said he's trying to schedule a vote on the House version of the foreign military supplemental by Tuesday. (It requires 100% consent to move that quickly--otherwise they've got to endure proposals for amendments, a tedious process. Rand Paul is a frequent holdout to the 100% requirement and a good bet for the first guy to hold out this time.)
"…a sometimes tedious process." ↑↑
I've been reading that military aid can start flowing to Ukraine within "days" of an order to start sending. The ammo's already stored in caches in Europe, waiting word to ship. AssociatedPress My guess is the Pentagon's paying equal attention Chuck Schumer's word on when the Senate can vote and already scheduling transport to Ukraine, loaded with ammo, readying it to roll out the gates starting Wednesday morning European time.
"Those people in the US who are considering withholding
their votes from Biden in protest over Gaza should consider
carefully what they may get instead."
I see a lot of self-proclaimed 'leaders' in the American Muslim communities declaring that they will withhold their votes en masse from Biden. But I'm not yet convinced that the average American Muslim voter is willing to be told to sit back and 'let' Trump win. Maybe; maybe not. I ain't convinced yet either way; reckon we'll know in November, if not before. In either case, Muslims make up 1.1% of the American population; Jews more than twice that (2.4%).
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"Ironic, considering [Iran] are Putin's allies."
You may be overstating the case. They happen to share a common enemy (us) and they have a common short-term goal in regards to that enemy; doesn't necessarily make them allies. Stalin and Hitler signed a (temporary) non-aggression pact in mid 1939 as you may recall. And then Hitler pulled a surprise invasion of the Soviet Union less than two years later.
(Kim Jung Il wants to cultivate some allies; wants Russia to be among them--I'm thinking the Ayatollah's got an entirely different agenda, as does Putin.)
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Headline: US weighs sending additional military advisers to
Ukraine as Russia gains momentum
Politico
I think these "advisors" started out as handlers of sensitive military technology that we didn't necessarily want to share with Ukrainian personnel (given that they're infiltrated with Russian sympathizers to an unknown extent). I'm not sure what these 'additional military advisors' tasks might be. I hope it's not to try to ride herd on the Ukrainians and make them conform to our notions of how they should fight their war. (I judge our recent efforts to fight assymetrical wars to have been staggering failures pretty much across the board, and I don't see we should be hoisting those misguided efforts as examples to the Ukrainians, who seem to be doing rather better on their own--if we'd just keep the ammo coming.)
It looks like Ukraine targeted Sevastopol and another Russian ship in its harbor. They used Neptune missiles and hit the ship. It is at least damaged.
Name of the ship is Kommuna. It is apparently a 'tender' for Russian submarines, and not a warship itself (although Russian subs have been used as missile platforms), and was the oldest ship in the Russian Black Sea fleet, launched in 1915.
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NATO is having problems responding positively to Ukraine's call for seven (7) more Patriot missile systems to defend Ukrainian cities and important infrastructure sites. AssociatedPress Looks to me like something that needs to be addressed in our next military budget or even a supplemental (soon as the presidential election is over, maybe even sooner).
I noticed that Trump once again yesterday went to bat on behalf of Mike Johnson, and conspicuously avoided criticizing the provision of military aid to Ukraine. It's apparently come to Trump's attention that American voters, pretty much across the board, are in favor of military aid to Ukraine.
But many of the Trumpkan/Republican politicians have gained their offices on a platform that amounts to little more than a pledge of loyal support for the Great Orange Füerer. They were expecting Trump to come out hard and fierce in Putin's corner. And they're seemingly having trouble adjusting to this rather fuzzier approach to the issue. (It doesn't seem to help them that Trump himself probably doesn't yet know where he's going with this. But maybe Marjorie Taylor Greene will have a clue when she gets back to D.C. See, for instance: NewRepublic and NewYorkPost They're not going easy on her.)
Say what you will about Donald Trump's character and his business "skills" but he does know how to read a room. That's why you see him hedging on the abortion issue as well. He will not hesitate to hang his supporters out to dry if it will gain something for himself.
The Senate just passed the foreign aid bill.
Rand Paul was a no-show. Don't think he even came back to D.C. when Schumer called 'em back to vote on it.
As for Trump…
It was gonna pass anyway; Trump just wanted to get it over with and get the issue gone away 'til after the election. (And he also doesn't wanna see another Trumpkan/Republican fiasco over the Speaker's chair 'til after the election.) He can boot-lick Putin after he's elected, if he's elected.
It sounds like we sent long range ATACMS quietly with that last $300 million aid package to Ukraine. The Ukrainians wanted it kept quiet for OPSEC.
"It sounds like we sent long range ATACMS quietly with that
last $300 million aid package to Ukraine."
Yeah, it was quiet, but not entirely secret:
"The Biden administration is said to be 'leaning towards'
supplying the relatively long range (max range 170/190 miles,
depending on payload carried) MGM140s (a/k/a ATACMs) to
Ukraine once we manage to overcome the Trumpkan/
Republican blockade of assistance to Ukraine (if we manage
to overcome that Trumpkan/Republican blockade). NBCNews
The first ones will necessarily have to be shipped by our allies
who have some in stock."
Lee C. @ Tue Feb 20, 05:32 am (prior thread)
The State of Arizona (Democratic Attorney General) has listed Donald Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator on charges naming eighteen of his lawyers, advisors, and White House and reëlection staff for fraud, forgery, and conspiracy to tamper with the election of Joe Biden in 2020. Politico
Belarus claimed this morning to have 'thwarted' an attack launched from NATO territory (Lithuania), as reported in Russian media. Reuters
This would seem to be totally unrelated to yesterday's upheaval in Russia's Ministry of Defense (three top military men arrested so far for 'corruption'), but one never knows.
In any case, it's an odd development and probably bears watching.
"The announcement by the US on Wednesday that it had
already provided Ukraine with long-range missiles reopened
an ongoing debate in Germany over the delivery of Taurus
cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces.
***
"An unnamed senior US defense official on Thursday told
reporters that delivering Taurus was up to Germany, but that
given the US decision on supplying ATACMS, and similar
decisions in London and Paris to provide long-range cruise
missiles, 'we would certainly hope that this could be a factor,'
on persuading Germany to change its mind."
DWNews
I think I might safely interpret that as a Bidenspeak announcement that they're gonna start leanin' on German Chancellor Scholz to hand over some of those Taurus missiles for Ukraine.
Wonder how long it'll take in order for that to take?
Yeah, it was quiet, but not entirely secret:
Yes, even as I typed that I was thinking you had mentioned something about that before.
This would seem to be totally unrelated to yesterday's upheaval in Russia's Ministry of Defense (three top military men arrested so far for 'corruption'), but one never knows.
One of those arrested was the number three top military official. Only Shoigu and Putin rank higher. This in itself is rather odd. Was he a spy? Was he involved in a plot against Putin? Those things jump to mind rather than corruption, given Putin's own propensity for the occupation. Yes, it does bear watching.
I think I might safely interpret that as a Bidenspeak announcement that they're gonna start leanin' on German Chancellor Scholz to hand over some of those Taurus missiles for Ukraine.
Kind of reminds me of the tank debate way back when.
"Kind of reminds me of the tank debate way back when."
Indeed; striking similarities. The Biden administration repeats what's worked before.
May this end as well.
(Meantime, those F16s are takin' way too long, as are the needed additional Patriot systems.)
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And, while we're on the subject of repeating what's worked before…
"A campaign watchdog group filed a formal complaint to the
Federal Election Commission on Wednesday accusing Donald
J. Trump’s presidential campaign and related political
committees of concealing payments of $7.2 million in legal
fees by paying them through an unrelated shell company in
violation of campaign finance law.
"At the center of the complaint, from the Campaign Legal
Center, is the company that received the payments, Red
Curve. The company is run by Bradley Crate, who is also the
treasurer for the Trump campaign and four related political
committees listed in the complaint, as well as for 200 other
candidates and committees.
"In its complaint, the Campaign Legal Center said that the
Trump political committees had used Red Curve, which did
not appear to offer legal services, “as a conduit to conceal
payments for legal services.” The group filed its complaint
hours after The Daily Beast published an article about the
payments to Red Curve."
NYT
"President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia appears on track to
institute a rare tax increase on corporations and high earners,
a move that reflects both the burgeoning costs of his war in
Ukraine and the firm control he has over the Russian elite as
he embarks on a fifth term in office.
"Financial technocrats in Mr. Putin’s government are
searching for new ways to fund not just the war but also a
broader confrontation with the West that is likely to remain
costly for years. Russia is allocating nearly a third of its overall
2024 budget to national defense spending this year, a huge
increase, adding to a deficit that the Kremlin has taken pains
to keep in check.
"The proposed tax increase underscores Mr. Putin’s rising
confidence about his political control over the Russian elite
and his country’s economic resilience at home, showing that
he is willing to risk alienating parts of society to fund the war.
It would represent the first major tax overhaul in over a
decade.
"‛I think that this is a real sign of how comfortable he is,’ said
Richard Connolly, an expert on the Russian economy at Oxford
Analytica, a strategic analysis firm. ‛The fact that they are
doing it — they are looking to repair the house whilst the
weather is good, or at least reinforce the walls from a fiscal
point of view.’"
NewYorkTimes
The author is strong on conclusions and a bit light on any hints of humility. But he may be right in calling this a show of confidence by Putin.
Hmmm...I think I blocked Java Script on the NYT site to get around the login screen, but it now gives me a nasty message about not being able to continue showing the article because Java Script is blocked. They have gotten wise to that trick.
Anyway, I get the gist from what I could read. Putin may be confident he can squeeze the elite's, but I'm not so sure. Oh, I don't think they will revolt anytime soon, but they will be none too happy about the loss of income. Especially if they have children living on Russian taxpayer largesse outside the country, like one fellow I just saw who is living in Bali with no thought of returning to Russia.
Meanwhile, it looks like Ukraine targeted another Russian oil refinery and airfield. They are getting very adept at modifying existing aerial vehicles to carry bombs into Russia. Much cheaper than Western missiles and available to them right now. They are slowly picking apart the Russian economy.
I wanted to watch the Correspondent's Dinner roast last night, but fell asleep just as Biden started speaking. Hmmm...no I don't think it was his delivery. I will have to go and see if I can dig up a video on YouTube. It sounds like there were some very well placed jabs at Trump and some of his Republican followers.
"They have gotten wise to that trick."
Still worked for me. You may have just hit a fluke response.
Maybe I will try later.
I found the Correspondent's Dinner roast video. It was good.
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