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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

American History and Black History can not be separated.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Let there be snark.

Fani Willis claps back at Trump chihuahua, Jim Jordan.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

The new republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

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Late Night ‘Should Be Always’ Open Thread: Librarians, Doing Civilization’s Work

by Anne Laurie|  April 18, 20243:20 am| 3 Comments

This post is in: Books, Excellent Links, Something Good Open Thread

Super clever way to “market” public services, like the library, whose tangible (and intangible) benefits often go unnoticed. pic.twitter.com/cyQD3Cud4D

— Ames Grawert ?? (@AmesCG) March 29, 2024

A NYC-specific initiative:

Libraries change lives and societies for the better, and we need to protect them with everything we’ve got.

I was thrilled to join @nypl and @jenniferweiner yesterday to say: #NoCutsToLibraries!

Add your voice today: https://t.co/eUTxpC0gLf pic.twitter.com/oWdbVjKLvu

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 28, 2024

This is lovely: 'Tall tales but no dessert: the storyteller of Karachi and his ice-cream cart library': in a country where 77% of 10-year-olds are illiterate, a reading scheme in #Pakistan is reaching thousands https://t.co/Z1sIQowka4

— Literary Connections (@literaryconnect) April 10, 2024

From the Guardian (h/t Ozark Hillbilly), “Tall tales but no dessert: the storyteller of Karachi and his ice-cream cart library”:

show full post on front page

Pedalling down a narrow alleyway in Karachi’s crowded Lyari Town, Saira Bano slows as she passes a group of children sitting on the ground, listening to a man reading aloud from a book. The eight-year-old gets off her bike, slips off her sandals, and sits on the mat at the back.

She has already heard the story from Mohammad Noman, who is entertaining more than a dozen children with the tale of Noori, an insecure yellow parrot. “I don’t mind listening to it again,” says Saira. “He’s so funny.”

Noman, 23, is spending two weeks in Lyari pedalling an old ice-cream cart through its lanes, stopping to read his stories and leaving behind books for the children to borrow.

He dropped out of school himself as a teenager but has returned to education and is now studying for his high school certificate.

He is also one of two storytellers working part-time for the Kahaani Sawaari (Stories on Wheels) programme, run by GoRead.pk, which is working to improve literacy among underprivileged communities in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city.

“I become a kid when I am around the children,” says Noman. In the past 18 months, he has visited 30 areas of Lyari, one of the most densely populated and deprived neighbourhoods of Karachi, with more than 660,000 residents, mostly from the marginalised Baloch ethnic group…

Education is free and compulsory in Pakistan yet, according to the UN, it has the world’s second-highest rate of children absent from school, at 44% of five to 16-year-olds. And 77% of 10-year-olds are unable to understand simple text, according to the World Bank.

Books and uniforms can be prohibitively expensive in Pakistan. Saira dropped out of school a year ago when her father, who worked in a toy shop, lost his job as Pakistan’s economy was hit by rocketing food and fuel prices…

It is not just children in the Lyari audience. “I have been watching this young man come in his ice-cream cart since last week,” says Rashida Ashraf, a local resident in her 60s. “He plays music, and soon the kids trickle in. There’s no ice-cream though.

“It’s nice,” she says. “It will open their minds.”

Late Night ‘Should Be Always’ Open Thread: Librarians, Doing Civilization’s WorkPost + Comments (3)

Wednesday News Roundup, A Little Late

by WaterGirl|  April 17, 202410:35 pm| 71 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics

Between the Einstein zoom, which was great fun, and the fundraising this afternoon, I didn’t have much time to check out the news today.  So here’s some good news I found after the zoom.

Okay, I knew the Senate rejected the articles, but I loved the framing of this – Republicans trying to look solemn as they put on their farcical impeachment show.  And then, bam, Schumer tossed them in the (virtual) garbage where they belonged.

The Senate rejected the articles of impeachment in less time than it took to walk them over to their chambers.

pic.twitter.com/w5rxzL05e5

— Jack E. Smith ⚖️ (@7Veritas4) April 17, 2024

.

Just submitted an amendment to Bill drafting appointing MTG as Putin’s Special Envoy to the United States Congress. https://t.co/Gn8Dd3lZwj

— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) April 18, 2024

.

I am very happy about Secretary Yellen’s strong support, and that the House is planning to vote on my bipartisan REPO bill to seize those assets.https://t.co/ABuyNLDb8f

— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) April 17, 2024

.

The Senate rightly defeated the baseless Mayorkas impeachment that even conservative legal scholars said was unconstitutional.

Real solutions are on the table. Republicans should stop wasting time on political stunts, while killing bipartisan border reforms.

Full WH statement: pic.twitter.com/Do4iZTBSSW

— Ian Sams (@IanSams46) April 17, 2024

Janet Yellen’s Ukraine mission  (Politico)

The Biden administration is making a new push this week to rally reluctant allies behind the idea that billions in immobilized Russian assets should be tapped to support Ukraine.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will spend the coming days laying the groundwork as fellow finance ministers gather in Washington for the IMF-World Bank spring meetings. It’s expected to be an agenda item at Wednesday afternoon’s meeting of G7 finance leaders and in other discussions on the sidelines.

“Our goal is to try to get it done as soon as possible,” said a Treasury official granted anonymity. “And if that is this summer, that’s as soon as possible.”
The challenge for Yellen is two-fold. The idea is bipartisan but political resistance is emerging at home from a key ally of former President Donald Trump. The U.S. is also facing unease in Europe, where most of the assets are located. The U.S. Congress has struggled for months to agree on fresh aid to support Ukraine more than two years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

Officials are considering a menu of options. They include seizing Russia’s sovereign assets outright as well as structuring a loan backed by windfall profits from the assets. The goal is to advance discussions so top G7 leaders can make a decision when they gather in June.

I am guessing that this isn’t literally true, but I suppose it is possible, seeng as it is Marge, after all.

MTG demands sharks with frickin laser beams on their heads to patrol the rio grande

— Angry Staffer 🌻 (@Angry_Staffer) April 18, 2024

Open thread.

Wednesday News Roundup, A Little LatePost + Comments (71)

War for Ukraine Day 785: Chernihiv Attacked!

by Adam L Silverman|  April 17, 202410:00 pm| 37 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Quick housekeeping note: Tonight’s post is going to be very brief. I’ve spent the late afternoon into the early evening at the emergency vet. Rosie will be staying overnight with them. She’s stable. She was diagnosed with lymphoma about two and a 1/2 weeks ago. They caught it early. She just started chemo and at least one lymph node shrank a lot as a result of that first treatment. However, she wouldn’t stand up when I got home, not even for her supper, which she didn’t eat. So I took her right in. She was running a high fever, they started her on fluids right away, and she started to perk up. Her bloodwork is within normal ranges, though she’s a bit anemic. The vet thinks this is likely a side effect of the chemo, has spoken with the oncology vet, and will leave the final determination to be made by the oncology vet in the morning. Right now everything is looking cautiously optimistic. But a long day got a lot longer. So I’m just going to cover some basics, get cleaned up, give Ruby some attention and rack out. Good thoughts for Rosie are, of course, always appreciated.

This morning, Russia viciously attacked #Chernihiv with “Iskander” missiles. They killed at least 17 people – as the rescue operation is not finished yet, we hope this number won’t increase.

We urge our partners to strengthen our air shield to protect people.#PatriotsSaveLives pic.twitter.com/effb6xHkMM

— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) April 17, 2024

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

show full post on front page

The Occupier Must Lose, and Each of their Losses is Ukraine’s Strength – Address of the President of Ukraine

17 April 2024 – 22:22

Dear Ukrainians!

The summary of this day.

I have just taken part in the work of the European Council. All the leaders of our Europe were here. I am grateful to Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, and to all the leaders of European states and governments for their consistent attention to Ukraine.

Today I emphasized everything that we need for our further actions, for our defense.

Of course, anti-aircraft warfare and the frontline are top priorities. Now is the time that everyone in Europe, in the free world, should use to strengthen — to increase the production and supply of weapons, and in general to strengthen the determination. The normal life of the world depends on determination, and Europe cannot afford to waste this time for the sake of our common security.

Before the European Council meeting, I addressed the participants of the discussion at the World Bank, attended by major global financiers — the Ministers of Finance of our partner countries and the heads of the leading financial institutions. We are working to ensure the adequate financial foundation for Ukraine which is essential for its defense against Russian aggression. Defense and reconstruction, social stability — all of this requires funding and long-term support programs. And finally, we need decisive actions to make the frozen Russian assets work for our defense against Russian terror.

Today I also talked to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. We are preparing for a meeting of the Ukraine – NATO Council on Friday. The agenda is focused on our partnership, on the power of joint action, on how we can work together, really work together, to provide more protection for life — for all our cities, towns, and communities.

The allies have shown now in the Middle East what they can really do. They can when there is enough determination.

Today, throughout the day, I received reports on the tragedy in Chernihiv following a Russian strike on the city, on its residential quarters. Some houses were damaged, a hospital, and a hotel were destroyed. There were people under the rubble. A lot of wounded people. As of now, 17 people have been confirmed killed. My condolences to all those who lost their loved ones. The rescue operation on site has continued throughout the day and will continue until we know the fate of everyone who may be under the rubble. I thank every rescuer on the scene, all the medical personnel, all the police officers who are helping, the municipal services that are involved — everyone who is saving lives.

And I would also like to thank everyone in our Armed Forces of Ukraine who prepares special operations — especially important operations, crucial operations that destroy the equipment of the Russian army and their combat infrastructure. Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have carried out a correct strike against the occupier in Dzhankoi, targeting the airfield. Thank you, warriors! Thank you for your precision. Thank you, Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi for organizing this operation. The occupier must lose, and each of their losses is Ukraine’s strength.

Thank you, everyone who fights and works for Ukraine! Thank you, everyone who supports us!

Glory to Ukraine!

Thank you to @TIME.

But I am convinced that Time's list should include people like Dmytro Kotsyubailo, Pavlo Petrychenko, Oleksiy Chubashev, Andriy Pilshchykov "Juice", Vladyslava Chernykh "Aida" and many other of our heroes.

Everyone who died for Ukraine and freedom.

— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) April 17, 2024

That is why the defense forces and the people of Ukraine should be in Time.

I can only be proud to be a part of this nation.

I believe that Time's award is an assessment of the work of the entire
President @ZelenskyyUa's team, which is a great honor for me to work for.

— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) April 17, 2024

Denmark:

Denmark announced the 17th military aid package for Ukraine, valued at approximately DKK 2.2 billion. kroner ($313 million).

The new military aid package focuses on increased defense industry cooperation between Ukraine and Denmark. Denmark allocates 200 million DKK for… pic.twitter.com/JPKVXFuOV7

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 17, 2024

Denmark announced the 17th military aid package for Ukraine, valued at approximately DKK 2.2 billion. kroner ($313 million).

The new military aid package focuses on increased defense industry cooperation between Ukraine and Denmark. Denmark allocates 200 million DKK for investments in the Ukrainian defense industry. In addition, funds have been set aside for maritime capabilities, drones, and the production of missile components.

We highly appreciate Denmark’s unwavering support for Ukraine. Together, we fight for freedom.

NATO:

Spoke with President @ZelenskyyUa on #Ukraine's urgent needs & #NATO support. Delays in aid have consequences on the ground every day. So my message to Allies is clear: Send more to Ukraine. We also agreed to convene the NATO-Ukraine Council this Friday.

— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) April 17, 2024

Germany:

Germany urges dozen of allies to send air defence systems to Ukraine https://t.co/YbK8Ej9JpG

— Financial Times (@FT) April 17, 2024

From The Financial Times:

Germany has written to dozens of countries including Gulf Arab states to plead for more air defence systems for Ukraine, saying Kyiv needed urgent help to protect its cities, troops and critical infrastructure from the “murderous onslaught” of Russian missiles.

In a letter to other Nato members, a copy of which was obtained by the Financial Times and confirmed by Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock and defence minister Boris Pistorius said they were launching a global initiative aimed at plugging the gaps in Ukraine’s air defences.

A “wide range of non-Nato partners” had also been approached, they added. Officials declined to identify those countries.

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister who is the frontrunner to become Nato’s next secretary-general, said he believed European members of the alliance were prepared to provide funds to acquire air defence systems for Kyiv.

“We know the amount they need and we know that we should be able to get that done,” Rutte said on Wednesday at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels. “We know that many countries have Patriot [anti-missile] systems but maybe do not want to deliver directly. We can buy from them and we can deliver to Ukraine. We have the money available. It’s crucial.”

Ukraine has warned it is struggling to halt a multipronged and intensifying Russian offensive. In their letter, the German ministers said Russia was trying to destroy Odesa — the Black Sea port city, which they described as Ukraine’s “economic lifeline” — and the north-eastern industrial centre of Kharkiv, while a wave of attacks on energy infrastructure had caused even more damage than during the winter of 2022-23.

“It is up to us to help Ukraine defend itself against this murderous onslaught,” they said, calling on Germany’s partners to join the initiative, known as Immediate Action on Air Defence.

“We appeal to you to take stock of all [the] air defence systems in your arsenals and consider what could be transferred to Ukraine, whole systems or parts of them either permanently or for a limited period,” they said.

In a statement to the FT, Kuleba said Kyiv was “very grateful to Germany for its leadership on the issue of air defence for Ukraine”.

“Not only has it provided its own Patriot system and missiles, but our German friends are actively looking for ways to engage other countries that may help,” he said. “We urge all of them to reciprocate the German call.”

Officials in Kyiv said Kuleba held discussions on scouring the world for available systems with Baerbock at Nato headquarters in Brussels earlier this month. Germany co-leads a “Capability Coalition Integrated Air and Missile Defense” for Ukraine with France and the US.

“We know we need to do more than we are currently doing to support Ukraine. That is especially true for all capabilities required for air defence,” Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, said at the Brussels summit.

Scholz noted that Germany had decided to send Ukraine a third Patriot system from its arsenal.

“We want to also encourage others to do the same and look what possibilities exist in their own stocks to improve Ukraine’s possibilities for defence,” Scholz added. “It’s about doing this quickly now.”

Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, warned on Saturday that the situation on the eastern front had “significantly worsened in recent days.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made repeated calls for Ukraine’s western partners to provide more air defence systems. After a Russian missile attack destroyed the largest power plant in Kyiv last week, he pleaded for the US Congress to approve a much-needed $60bn military assistance package.

More at the link.

Washington, DC:

As they await US aid, Ukrainians losing ground, SecDef Austin tells House:

“We’re already seeing things on the battlefield begin to shift a bit in in terms of in Russia's favor,” Austin told the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee. “We are seeing them make incremental…

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) April 17, 2024

As they await US aid, Ukrainians losing ground, SecDef Austin tells House:

“We’re already seeing things on the battlefield begin to shift a bit in in terms of in Russia’s favor,” Austin told the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee. “We are seeing them make incremental gains, we’re seeing the Ukrainians be challenged in terms of holding the line — they’re doing a very good job, a credible job — but in order to continue to do that, they’re going to need you know, the right materials, the right munitions, the weapons to be able to do that.”

 

BREAKING — House Republicans are posting the aid bill imminently.

I’m told there are no changes from what @SpeakerJohnson laid out Monday.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 17, 2024

Ukraine aid :https://t.co/3dPoHFik6j https://t.co/6f2aRaOiIg

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) April 17, 2024

In a statement, President Joe Biden says he "strongly support[s]" the House's National Security Supplemental aid package, pledging, "I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won't let Iran or Russia succeed." pic.twitter.com/SRb4L4VbQA

— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) April 17, 2024

Reagan turning over in his grave.

— Barbara Slavin (@barbaraslavin1) April 18, 2024

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had some thoughts, which she expressed as amendments:

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced an amendment requiring members to “conscript in the Ukrainian military” if they vote for the Ukraine supplemental bill. pic.twitter.com/n0SykKpA3I

— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) April 17, 2024

Marjorie Taylor Greene offers an amendment to make funds from the Israel funding bill available “for the development of space laser technology on the southwest border.”

This is real, not made up— it’s amendment 11 herehttps://t.co/4IYE7Z8359
H/T @juliegraceb pic.twitter.com/Aq01a7zDRM

— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) April 18, 2024

I didn’t say they were good thoughts.

Who could’ve possibly known?

“The document for the first time provides official confirmation and codification of what many in the Moscow elite say has become a hybrid war against the West. Russia is seeking to subvert Western support for Ukraine and disrupt the domestic politics of the United States and…

— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) April 17, 2024

“The document for the first time provides official confirmation and codification of what many in the Moscow elite say has become a hybrid war against the West. Russia is seeking to subvert Western support for Ukraine and disrupt the domestic politics of the United States and European countries, through propaganda campaigns supporting isolationist and extremist policies, according to Kremlin documents previously reported on by The Post. It is also seeking to refashion geopolitics, drawing closer to China, Iran and North Korea in an attempt to shift the current balance of power.”
gift link https://wapo.st/3vMlQ39

The Washington Post has the details. (emphasis mine)

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has been drawing up plans to try to weaken its Western adversaries, including the United States, and leverage the Ukraine war to forge a global order free from what it sees as American dominance, according to a secret Foreign Ministry document.

In a classified addendum to Russia’s official — and public — “Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation,” the ministry calls for an “offensive information campaign” and other measures spanning “the military-political, economic and trade and informational psychological spheres” against a “coalition of unfriendly countries” led by the United States.

“We need to continue adjusting our approach to relations with unfriendly states,” states the 2023 document, which was provided to The Washington Post by a European intelligence service. “It’s important to create a mechanism for finding the vulnerable points of their external and internal policies with the aim of developing practical steps to weaken Russia’s opponents.”

The document for the first time provides official confirmation and codification of what many in the Moscow elite say has become a hybrid war against the West. Russia is seeking to subvert Western support for Ukraine and disrupt the domestic politics of the United States and European countries, through propaganda campaigns supporting isolationist and extremist policies, according to Kremlin documents previously reported on by The Post. It is also seeking to refashion geopolitics, drawing closer to China, Iran and North Korea in an attempt to shift the current balance of power.

Using much tougher and blunter language than the public foreign policy document, the secret addendum, dated April 11, 2023, claims that the United States is leading a coalition of “unfriendly countries” aimed at weakening Russia because Moscow is “a threat to Western global hegemony.” The document says the outcome of Russia’s war in Ukraine will “to a great degree determine the outlines of the future world order,” a clear indication that Moscow sees the result of its invasion as inextricably bound with its ability — and that of other authoritarian nations — to impose its will globally.

The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, which was published March 31, 2023, and approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin, deploys bland diplomatic language to call for “the democratization of international relations,” “sovereign equality” and the strengthening of Russia’s position on the global stage. Though the Foreign Policy Concept also charges that the United States and “its satellites” have used the Ukraine conflict to escalate “a many-years-long anti-Russia policy,” it also states that “Russia does not consider itself an enemy of the West … and has no ill intentions toward it.”

Russia hopes the West will “realize the lack of any future in its confrontational policy and hegemonistic ambitions, and will accept the complicated realities of the multipolar world,” the public document states.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it did not comment “on the existence or nonexistence of internal ministry documents” and on the progress of work on them. “As we have stated several times on different levels, we can confirm the mood is to decisively combat the aggressive steps taken by the collective West as part of the hybrid war launched against Russia,” the ministry added.

Russia’s recent veto against extending U.N. monitoring of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles program, effectively ending 14 years of cooperation, was “a clear sign” that the work contemplated in the classified addendum is already underway, said a leading Russian academic with close ties to senior Russian diplomats. The academic spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations in Moscow.

“Russia can create difficulties for the U.S. in many different regions of the world,” the academic said. “This is about the Middle East, northeast Asia, the African continent and even Latin America.”

The creation of the Foreign Policy Concept and the classified addendum followed a call to Russian academics for policy suggestions. One proposal submitted in February 2023 to the Foreign Ministry by the deputy head of Moscow’s Institute for the Commonwealth of Independent States, which maintains close ties to Russia’s security apparatus, laid out Russia’s options more bluntly still.

The academic, Vladimir Zharikhin, called for Russia to “continue to facilitate the coming to power of isolationist right-wing forces in America,” “enable the destabilization of Latin American countries and the rise to power of extremist forces on the far left and far right there,” as well as facilitate “the restoration of European countries’ sovereignty by supporting parties dissatisfied with economic pressure from the U.S.”

Other points in the policy proposal, which was also provided to The Post, suggested that Moscow stoke conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan to bring Russia and China closer together, as well as “to escalate the situation in the Middle East around Israel, Iran and Syria to distract the U.S. with the problems of this region.”

For Mikhail Khodorkovsky — the longtime Putin critic who was once Russia’s richest man until a clash with the Kremlin landed him 10 years in prison — it is not surprising that Russia is seeking to do everything it can to undermine the United States. “For Putin, it is absolutely natural that he should try to create the maximum number of problems for the U.S.,” he said. “The task is to take the U.S. out of the game, and then destroy NATO. This doesn’t mean dissolving it, but to create the feeling among people that NATO isn’t defending them.”

The long congressional standoff on providing more weapons to Ukraine was only making it easier for Russia to challenge Washington’s global power, he said.

“The Americans consider that insofar as they are not directly participating in the war [in Ukraine], then any loss is not their loss,” Khodorkovsky said. “This is an absolute misunderstanding.”

A defeat for Ukraine, he said, “means that many will stop fearing challenging the U.S.” and the costs for the United States will only increase.

More at the link!

For our Russian speakers, if any of you would like to translate the pdf of the annex that was provided to WaPo into English for me, it’s at this link. Just email it to me at my Balloon Juice contact address. Thanks in advance.

Given the WaPo’s reporting above and most of what I’ve written here since 2015, he’s back…

It's official!

Paul Manafort, who was convicted of tax and bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the US, and witness tampering, and who a bipartisan Senate report labeled a “grave counterintelligence threat” because of his ties to a Russian spy, has joined Trump's 2024 campaign. https://t.co/0CALyvDGSA

— Polly Sigh (@dcpoll) April 17, 2024

Kyiv:

“Budanov predicted that Russia will launch a big offensive starting in June to try to capture all of Donetsk and Luhansk, the two provinces known as the Donbas region, which Russia has claimed but doesn’t control. The Russians will then focus on the November elections in the…

— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) April 17, 2024

Avdiivka front:

Kriegforscher via the Thread Reader App:

In the nearest future I will publish a short thread about the biggest Russian advance near Tonenke, Avdiivka area, where they used a tank battalion in charge.

But right now I would like to say a couple of words about FPV drones and the dillusional reality they have created. 

First of all, a short remark: I am totally supportive of FPV drones. With both of my hands.

But U need understand some thing: that’s not a panacea. Not at all. 

U see only successful hits on Twitter or TG channels and they create a wrong point of thinking.

Unfortunately, we use so much FPV drones because of lack of ammo for mortars, ATGMs, artillery and even antitank mines. 

IMHO, every army needs to has them. They are cheap and very effective, FIRST OF ALL, against the enemy logistics. That’s out of the question and they are really needed. 
But here, in your TV war, you mostly see, especially right now, how the enemy columns charge so let’s talk a little bit about this. 
1) they wouldn’t even be able to reach our positions if we had enough antitank mines. Same with artillery;

2) they wouldn’t be able to reach the city of Krasnogorivka, that’s the best example right now, if we had enough ATGMs.

But they did. 

We have at that direction FPV drones. But they cannot change the fact that RUAF AFV are driving there like at home. 
And finally , that the biggest charge near Tonenke was stopped with the help of ATGMs and artillery. And well trained and motivated infantry.

Not with the help of FPV drones. They just finished the job (mostly damaged and abandoned AFVs). 

FPV drones are not the key. And not the panacea.

IMHO, the key is:

1) enough artillery shells;
2) well trained infantry;
3) mobility of your forces (AFV).

That’s at least. 

I am sorry, I am just fucking tired of what I see and when I have phone calls with possible recruits everyone asks me about FPV drones because they see the war via TG channels. 

Dzankhoi, Russian occupied Crimea:

/1. This night there was a missile attack on the Russian airbase in Dzhankoi, Crimea.
Russian media claims that 7-8 ballistic missiles were launched during the attack. pic.twitter.com/ztvWO109tp

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024

/3. Additional footage of the results of the missile strikes on Russian Dzhankoi airbase pic.twitter.com/xm6Q9U3Oa8

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024

/5. Missile debris. https://t.co/zPD6aJhCie

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024

/7. In details about the Dzhankoy attack and first imagery of the aftermath of the attack. https://t.co/cVP6nOXHbJ

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024

🚀💥Regarding the strike on Dzhankoy, as well as first footage of the aftermath of the attack. Destroyed Russian S-400 air defence system equipment.

«Tonight, April 17, 2024, the military airfield of the 39th helicopter regiment of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army… https://t.co/JGcByoXt6s pic.twitter.com/z1Z6G9mXhr

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024

🚀💥Regarding the strike on Dzhankoy, as well as first footage of the aftermath of the attack. Destroyed Russian S-400 air defence system equipment.

«Tonight, April 17, 2024, the military airfield of the 39th helicopter regiment of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army (military unit 46453, Dzhankoy) was attacked.

The photo shows the destroyed S-400 Triumph air defense system.

The strike was carried out by two MGM-140 ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.

The first blow hit the positions of the S-400 Triumph air defense system. 3 launchers and radar were destroyed.

The second hit was at the point for receiving and repairing military equipment of the 77th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 33742, Krasnodar Territory). At the time of the impact, two S-300 launchers (of an unknown modification) were being serviced at the point. Also, as a result of the impact at the point, a secondary detonation of ammunition occurred. What exactly exploded is unknown.

There is no information about damaged helicopters yet.

Preliminary (as of 06:00) – 15 wounded, 22 missing.»

https://t.me/dosye_shpiona/519

Voronezh, Russia:

Drone attack reported in Voronezh, Russia. Air raid alert in the region. pic.twitter.com/wX36Awlhoz

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

This is my city. My Chernihiv. Here, you do see no « pictures of the war ». Here, you see the pictures of war crimes. A lot of people died, including kids. Please help me and my people to survive. I don’t ask you to come and fight for the future of this world. We ask for more air… pic.twitter.com/L2ydgwUu13

— Patron (@PatronDsns) April 17, 2024

This is my city. My Chernihiv. Here, you do see no « pictures of the war ». Here, you see the pictures of war crimes. A lot of people died, including kids. Please help me and my people to survive. I don’t ask you to come and fight for the future of this world. We ask for more air defense systems for Ukrainian cities #UkraineNeedAirDefence

Open thread!

War for Ukraine Day 785: Chernihiv Attacked!Post + Comments (37)

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Baltimore Bridge Updates

by Anne Laurie|  April 17, 20248:07 pm| 55 Comments

This post is in: Science & Technology, Show Us on the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You

Salvage crews race against the clock to remove massive chunks of fallen Baltimore bridge https://t.co/7NDFM11Fpx

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 16, 2024

Three weeks! Time flies… Per the Associated Press, “Salvage crews race against the clock to remove massive chunks of fallen Baltimore bridge”:

Nearly three weeks since Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed under the impact of a wayward cargo ship, crews are using the largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard to haul the wreckage to a nearby salvage yard.

The heaviest section so far weighed about 450 tons (408 metric tons). In the salvage yard Monday morning, workers disassembled the metal trusses by attacking them with propane torches and a pair of giant shears that sliced them into more manageable pieces. Rising from the water nearby was the Chesapeake 1000, a floating crane with a storied history that includes helping the CIA retrieve part of a sunken Soviet submarine…

Salvage crews are hoping to recover the two remaining bodies once more of the debris has been removed. They’re also working toward their goal of opening a temporary channel later this month that would allow more commercial traffic to resume through the Port of Baltimore, which has remained largely closed since the March 26 collapse. Officials plan to reopen the port’s main channel by the end of May.

So far, over 1,000 tons (907 metric tons) of steel have been removed from the waterway. But the work is tedious, dangerous and incredibly complex, leaders of the operation said Monday during a visit to the salvage yard at Tradepoint Atlantic, the only maritime shipping terminal currently operating in the Port of Baltimore…

In the meantime, state leaders are echoing calls by President Joe Biden for Congress to authorize the federal government to pay for 100% of the cleanup and reconstruction. That would require bipartisan support, and some hard-line congressional Republicans have already suggested controversial demands to offset the funding…

show full post on front page

Port of Baltimore workers seek immediate help weeks after Key Bridge collapse https://t.co/ToqWkQAqvM

— STEMNASTICS LLC. (@stem_nastics) April 16, 2024

Local news station WBAL-TV:

It has been a rough few weeks for port workers in Baltimore after the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Thousands of workers remain without work due to the collapse. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed the Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act into law to provide immediate relief, but those impacted said it’s taking too long.

“In a case like this, relief needs to happen sooner than later, and it should’ve happened by now,” said Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local No. 333, which represents thousands of workers.

Three weeks have passed since the bridge collapsed and paychecks have not hit port workers’ pockets.

“We have lost some jobs and the cargo is diminished down in the terminals. It’s gotten even slower. More layoffs have happened, and it’s going to continue to go in that direction,” Cowan told 11 News…

Three more relief programs authorized under the PORT Act are expected to launch Monday.

There’s also the Maryland Tough, Baltimore Strong Key Bridge fund. The team behind the fund said they’re still figuring out logistics before making direct cash available to port workers.

Body of fourth Baltimore Key Bridge victim found in submerged construction truck https://t.co/HpEfl0S8w6

— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) April 15, 2024

The Unified Command announced Monday that a fourth body was recovered from the Patapsco River weeks after the Baltimore Key Bridge crumbled in the water.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has identified the missing victim. However, at the family’s request, their identity will not be revealed…

BREAKING: FBI opens criminal investigation into Baltimore bridge collapse, AP source says https://t.co/dGlVhmYJHu

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 15, 2024

Hours before leaving port, the massive container ship that caused the deadly collapse of a Baltimore bridge experienced apparent electrical problems, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Monday, the same day FBI agents boarded the vessel amid a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the catastrophe.

The Dali departed Baltimore’s port early on March 26 laden with cargo destined for Sri Lanka. It lost power before reaching open water and struck one of the supports for Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River and sending six members of a road repair crew plummeting to their deaths. Two of the victims are still unaccounted for…

Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said last week the investigation is focused on the ship’s electrical system generally. The ship experienced power issues moments before the crash, as is evident in videos that show its lights going out and coming back on.

Homendy said information gleaned from the vessel’s voyage data recorder is relatively basic, “so that information in the engine room will help us tremendously.”

The FBI is now conducting a criminal investigation into the bridge collapse that is focused on the circumstances leading up to it and whether all federal laws were followed, according to a different person familiar with the matter. The person wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

FBI agents were aboard the cargo ship on Monday conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity, the agency said in a statement. It didn’t elaborate and said it wouldn’t comment further on the investigation, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Scott issued a statement Monday announcing a partnership with two law firms to “launch legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible” and mitigate harm to the people of Baltimore. He said the city needs to act quickly to protect its own interests…

The Dali is managed by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., both of Singapore. Danish shipping giant Maersk chartered the Dali.

Synergy and Grace Ocean filed a court petition soon after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability — a routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law. Their joint filing seeks to cap the companies’ liability at roughly $43.6 million. It estimates that the vessel itself is valued at up to $90 million and was owed over $1.1 million in income from freight. The estimate also deducts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.

“Due to the magnitude of the incident, there are various government agencies conducting investigations, in which we are fully participating,” Synergy spokesperson Darrell Wilson said in a statement Monday. “Out of respect for these investigations and any future legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

The companies filed their petition under a provision of an 1851 maritime law that allows them to seek to limit their liability to the value of the vessel’s remains after a casualty…

The investigations come amid concerns about the safety of thousands of U.S. bridges and days after more than two dozen river barges broke loose and struck a closed span in Pittsburgh.

Had the opportunity to sit down with members of the Baltimore Industrial Group yesterday to discuss the ongoing response to the Key Bridge Collapse and how we’re working to support our port workers, their families, and local businesses. pic.twitter.com/vX4EL0beJy

— Brandon M. Scott (@MayorBMScott) April 17, 2024

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Baltimore Bridge UpdatesPost + Comments (55)

Humpty Trumpty (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker|  April 17, 20245:42 pm| 174 Comments

This post is in: 2024 Elections, Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity

Dems made quick work of the House Republican impeachment circus, striking the tents in an afternoon. Ted Cruz had time to make an ass of himself, but that’s an everyday thing. Good work, Senate Dems!

It was considerate of Republicans to deliver charges today, when Trump’s trial in New York is NOT in session. Now they won’t get the hoped for distraction. And they need to draw the nation’s attention elsewhere because, as Josh Marshall at TPM observes, Trump’s entire game is domination. And in the courtroom, the judge is the alpha dog:

What is clear to anyone who has ever tried to understand the man is that he lives in a binary world of the dominating and the dominated. The visuals around the man endlessly illustrate this. Most of us live in a much more fluid and textured world. We interact with most people on a ground of relative equality. Where real differentials of power exist most of us try to paper over those realities with softening trappings. Trump’s whole world view, the way he interacts with friends and foes, won’t accept any middle ground. And this is more than just performance. It’s clear that this is deeply rooted in his experience of the world. Being dominated is a kind of social and ego death. That’s why he’s so good at his whole racket. Because it’s coded so deeply into him.

Nothing puts you more squarely in the bucket of the dominated than being a defendant in a criminal trial and at risk of losing your freedom. The state makes its case against you and you have to sit there and take it. In case there was any question, the judge told Trump you have to be here in my court and sit here. A dozen randomly picked people hold your fate in their hands. You have to make your case, an actual case. Bullshit and attitude, Trump’s coins of the realm, could work. Unless those twelve people decide it doesn’t.

Seeing Trump sitting there, even on this least weighty prosecution, you get a sense of why he’s fought so tooth and nail to avoid this. The biggest and most obvious reason is that he doesn’t want to go to jail. That is certainly a sufficient reason. But it’s not the whole story. At the most basic level, sitting in the dock is horribly and perhaps even fatally off brand. Trump’s brand is swagger and impunity. Always be dominating. Until you’re not.

I think that’s right. I also agree with something Dan Pfeiffer said about the effect of the trial, which many pundits are assuming (as an article of faith) will not harm Trump at all in the upcoming election.

The scale of his crimes (Donald Trump falsifying records to cover up an extramarital affair) seems like small potatoes when compared to his violent attempt to overthrow an election or stealing closely-held national secrets from the White House and then showing them to random people at his beach club. Trump is unlikely to be sentenced to prison if convicted. Still, a felony conviction months before a divisive election is nothing to scoff at.

Pfeiffer notes that in close elections, everything matters. He also cites polls that show majorities of voters take the charges seriously — even a quarter of Republicans:

One in four 2020 Trump voters are not yet sure if Trump should be acquitted. What happens to those voters if Trump is convicted? Most of them vote for Trump anyway. Partisanship is a hell of a drug, but the results of the Republican Primary suggest that drug’s effects may be waning. The exit polls consistently showed that about 30% of Republican primary voters would not believe Trump was fit for the presidency if convicted.

Even if only a fraction of these voters stay home or vote for Biden, it will be enough to tip the election. In the Times poll, Trump is up by one point while getting 94% of his 2020 voters. If only 3% of those voters decide not to vote for Trump, Biden will win by a decent margin…

Finally, Trump being in the news has generally been bad for him and a high profile trial in the media capital of the world guarantees that much of the political coverage will be centered on the former President for the duration of the trial.

Of course, a conviction doesn’t guarantee a Trump loss, but that’s not the same as saying it doesn’t matter.

I’m not even sure a trial ending in an acquittal or hung jury would erase the spectacle of Trump being dominated daily in the courtroom and raging incoherently on the sidewalk afterward. I agree it doesn’t mean he’ll definitely lose, but it’s not the nothingburger some pundits are making it out to be.

My theory is their brains broke when The Beast clawed his way back to GOP dominance after the coup attempt. So now they think Trump is invincible. With that group, at least, he’s still the alpha dog who they roll over for every time.

Open thread.

Humpty Trumpty (Open Thread)Post + Comments (174)

I Am All For This!

by WaterGirl|  April 17, 20243:15 pm| 192 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, War in Ukraine

As @DavidFrum has said: Empty the NATO warehouses and send it all. https://t.co/jLs03EEP31

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 17, 2024

.

Chuck Schumer is currently humiliating Ted Cruz pic.twitter.com/rV5wzcctSW

— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) April 17, 2024

.

OPINION: Marjorie Taylor Greene is an idiot. She is trying to wreck the GOP https://t.co/ZBhkARHEyS

— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 17, 2024

Open thread.

I Am All For This!Post + Comments (192)

Arizona In The Crosshairs

by WaterGirl|  April 17, 202410:47 am| 147 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Political Action, Political Fundraising, Politics, Targeted Political Fundraising 2023-24

I try not to write really long posts because I know that for most of you, your eyes glaze over if a post is too long.  But I hope you will forgive me, just this once, and actually read the whole thing.  I want everyone to know what we’re up against.

A gun-toting Trump supporter attends a protest outside the Maricopa county tabulation and election center on 5 November 2020. Photograph: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

It’s a Tragic Sign of Our Times That Any Secretary of State Is Now Forced to Use War Preparation Tactics to Ensure Ballot Access

Guess which state?  Three guesses, and the first two don’t count.

The Guardian recently published a deep dive into the evil machinations of the Arizona Republican party in its efforts to retake power by any means necessary.  It’s not pretty, and their strategy is a roadmap for the authoritarian ascendency.   Here’s a link to the full article (it’s quite lengthy):

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/16/arizona-election-denial-consequences

show full post on front page

The article’s subheading summarizes it best:

“The state Republican party is undaunted by electoral defeats of those claiming voting is rigged – and election officials are bearing the brunt of their fury.”

The opening paragraphs set the scene:

“On a glorious spring day in Phoenix, in an atrium beneath the majestic cupola of the old state capitol, the secretary of state, Adrian Fontes, is celebrating Arizona’s 112th birthday…..

There is only one discordant note on this otherwise joyous day: who is that person standing silently and alert behind Fontes? Why is Arizona’s chief election administrator, responsible for the smooth operation of November’s presidential election, in need of a bodyguard?

“It’s very sad,” Fontes said. “It’s a sad state of affairs that in a civil society, in one of the most advanced civilizations that anybody could have imagined, we have to worry about physical violence.”

The Guardian outlines the MAGA strategy.

Double-down on election denialism:

All the big names in Arizona Republican politics continue to trade in election denialism, including failed 2022 candidates Kari Lake (Governor), Mark Finchem (Secretary of State) and Abe Hamadeh (Attorney General).  Finchem founded an election denial grift called the “Election Fairness Institute” and is braying about monitoring “phantom voters.”  Hamadeh has twice sued Attorney General Kris Mayes over his loss.

Further, the Arizona MAGAts are purging the state party of “RINOs” and election realists.  Remember former speaker of Arizona house Rusty Bowers- who was censured by the party in 2021 for refusing to overturn the election – was subsequently swatted and harassed.  Two of the four Republicans are not running for reelection; one citing “PTSD” from MAGA harassment.  It’s the “fewer, but better, Republicans” strategy.

Abuse their narrow majority (two seats in both chambers) to enact draconian voter suppression measures:

According to Public Wise, a voting rights organization, 12 of the 16 Republicans in the state Senate are election deniers or participated in other acts designed to undermine confidence in democracy.  Together with the House, almost half of Republicans serving in the Legislature have introduced anti-democratic legislation; 84% of them have voted for it.

Recent bills proposed by far-right lawmakers include:

  • Make it easier to challenge election results in court (goodbye being dismissed for lack of evidence)
  • Promote hand count of all ballots
  • Strip AZ voters from the voter list whenever they fail to vote in any election
  • Require all vote counting equipment to be made exclusively out of US manufactured parts.

As the Governor noted in her veto statement, no such machines exist!

More recently, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1014 would allow Arizona politicians to determine how electoral college votes are divvied up, stipulating that “the Legislature, and no other official, shall appoint presidential electors in accordance with the United States Constitution.”  This is the attempted codification of the “Independent State Legislature Theory.”

Intimidate election officials and poll watchers and undermine confidence in machine counting.

The MAGA hordes are going out full force on intimidating voters and election workers.  Last cycle, armed vigilantes stalked drop boxes to look for “mules” with fraudulent ballots.  Election officials received death threats and bomb threats.

“Arizona is suffering one of the severest brain drains of electoral know how in the country. Of its 15 counties, 12 have lost a top election administrator since the last presidential cycle, prised out by a constant barrage of bile.

Most of those quitting are women, a reflection of the predominance of female election officials and the often sexually charged nature of the threats.”

But there’s hope and action and the Democrats are fighting back!

It all seems rather grim at first glance, but there’s plenty of reason for hope and plenty of action to take.

Election denial is a losing strategy in Arizona.  According to the Guardian, although opinion polls show that 70% of Republicans nationally believe in the Big Lie, Republicans are only 34% of Arizona’s electorate.  Democrats (30%) and unaffiliated independents (35 percent) are far, far less susceptible to lies about the election.  And outside the party, it’s a losing strategy.

Mike Nobel, an Arizona-based pollster, described the 2022 cycle as a perfect case study in the effects of election denialism in Arizona:  “All the election deniers standing in statewide races lost, while everything else down-ticket went to the Republicans.”  Please proceed MAGAts.

The Democrats elected statewide (with Balloon-Juice’s help) have a strategy and are putting it into action.

Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed over 143 election-related bills.  She’s dismissed them with remarks like “it’s time to move on” and “the 2020 election is settled.”  Further, the independent state legislature initiative referenced above (SCR1014) has little chance of passage.  It would require a majority of Arizonan to essentially disenfranchise themselves via a ballot initiative.  Although that’s no reason for complacency.

Attorney General Kris Mayes is aggressively going after violations of election laws.

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is preparing for the election like the Marine veteran that he is:

“The secretary of state is staging tabletop exercises in which officials wargame how to react to worst-case scenarios. What would they do if a fire broke out at the ballot-printing warehouse, or if a cargo train spilled its toxic load on to the facility storing voting equipment?

“Tiger teams” have been assembled to be quickly dispatched across the state to fix software or other voting problems….

Specialists from the Department of Homeland Security have been deployed to advise counties on physical and cyber security. Active-shooter drills have been rehearsed at polling stations.

As the Washington Post reported, kits containing tourniquets to staunch bleeding, hammers for breaking glass windows and door-blocking devices have been distributed to county election offices. “These are not things we would ever want to train anybody on,” Fontes said. “But given the environment … ”

It’s a tragic sign of our times that any Secretary of State – in ordinary times, a wonky bureaucratic position – is now forced to use war preparation tactics to ensure ballot access.

This is why Arizona is in the Balloon Juice crosshairs for this cycle.  It’s critical to saving democracy.

ARIZONA


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NEVADA


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We can out-raise them, out-organize them, out-strategize them, and out-vote them.  We’ve got this!

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