Balloon Juice - Open Threads Archives

We Have A Balloon Juice Angel (!) for the High School Students & PA Supreme Court Race

by WaterGirl| June 8, 20255:15 pm| 74 Comments

Update 2: Almost Retired’s Angel Match is complete, and we met our $25,000 goal for The Civics Center! The $25k we raised brought in $35,000 in external matches, for a total of $60k for this group. We are the little engine that could. Thank you all!

Update: frosty’s Angel Match is complete, but we have another Angel Match from Almost Retired. Details in the comments.

frosty has stepped forward once again with an Angel Match!

Note from frosty

I hate to see this stall out and lose the $5,000 external match. This is my state* and it’s going to hit close to home if we lose.

* Actually, Commonwealth, for all you pedants out there.

Matching up to $50 per person for a total of $500! That means that frosty matches your $50 turns, turning it into $100. Then the external match matches the $100, for a total of $200. ($25 = $100, $10 = $40, $5 = $20)

That’s 4x matching, assuming we hit the $5k goal to get the external match!

We can do this, right?

The PA Supreme Court Race Is Every Bit As Important as the One In Wisconsin

Why do these retention races matter so much?

This is not your typical judicial retention election, where we can blithely say that judges are almost always retained, so no big deal.
The Rs have mounted a very aggressive campaign to turn out MAGA to vote NO, and everything is on the line in PA in this election.
If we don’t keep these 3 Supreme Court seats, I don’t want it to be because we didn’t try hard enough, or because we didn’t realize what the consequences of a loss would be.

If Dems don’t retain the seats

Republicans will likely retain control of the court well into the 2030s.
Voting rights will be undermined; thousands of ballots will no longer be opened.
Return to brutal gerrymandering of legislative and congressional districts.
Good public education? Who needs that?
There will be nothing to hold back the MAGA agenda.

If we win, the Democrats will likely retain control of the court well into the 2030s.

This is a win-win. Even if the worst happens and the Dems don’t retain their seats, we will have helped register TONS of young voters who are likely to remain engaged in the political process – and they can vote in 2026 and 2028, and every election in between.

Donate

We Have A Balloon Juice Angel (!) for the High School Students & PA Supreme Court RacePost + Comments (74)

Touchwood Open Thread: Whining Calling for A Savior

by Anne Laurie| June 8, 20251:02 pm| 123 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Resistance to Trump, Our Failed Media Experiment

Where Is Barack Obama? The “audacity of hope” presidency has given way to the fierce lethargy of semi-retirement, @markleibovich.bsky.social writes.

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— The Atlantic (@theatlantic.com) June 8, 2025 at 8:45 AM

Way I see it, it would nice if President Obama would step up to lead the resistance, but that’s not his way, and it’s certainly no longer his job. But when ‘elite’ white boys survey the wreckage they’ve made, their first impulse is to demand someone else clean it up… and they don’t think their moms want to deal with the current Oval Office Occupation. Lebovich has a reputation as a point man for the ‘vibes’ political media, so… [gift link]

… Trump has begun his second term with a continuous spree of democracy-shaking, economy-quaking, norm-obliterating action. And Obama, true to form, has remained carefully above it all. He picks his spots, which seldom involve Trump. In March, he celebrated the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and posted his annual NCAA basketball brackets. In April, he sent out an Easter message and mourned the death of the pope. In May, he welcomed His Holiness Pope Leo XIV (“a fellow Chicagoan”) and sent prayers to Joe Biden following his prostate-cancer diagnosis.

No matter how brazen Trump becomes, the most effective communicator in the Democratic Party continues to opt for minimal communication. His “audacity of hope” presidency has given way to the fierce lethargy of semi-retirement.

Obama occasionally dips into politics with brief and unmemorable statements, or sporadic fundraising emails (subject: “Barack Obama wants to meet you. Yes you.”). He praised his law-school alma mater, Harvard, for “rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt” by the White House “to stifle academic freedom.” He criticized a Republican bill that would threaten health care for millions. He touted a liberal judge who was running for a crucial seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. When called upon, he can still deliver a top-notch campaign spiel, donor pitch, convention speech, or eulogy…

In normal times, no one would deny Obama these diversions. He performed the world’s most stressful job for eight years, served his country, made his history, and deserved to kick back and do the usual ex-president things: start a foundation, build a library, make unspeakable amounts of money.

But the inevitable Trump-era counterpoint is that these are not normal times. And Obama’s detachment feels jarringly incongruous with the desperation of his longtime admirers—even more so given Trump’s assaults on what Obama achieved in office. It would be one thing if Obama had disappeared after leaving the White House, maybe taking up painting like George W. Bush. The problem is that Obama still very much has a public profile—one that screams comfort and nonchalance at a time when so many other Americans are terrified…

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Obama’s aides also say that he is loath to overshadow the next generation of Democratic leaders. They emphasize that he spends a great deal of time speaking privately with candidates and officials who seek his advice. But unfortunately for Democrats, they have not found their next fresh generational sensation since Obama was elected 17 years ago (Joe Biden obviously doesn’t count). Until a new leader emerges, Obama could certainly take on a more vocal role without “regularizing” himself in the lowlands of Trump-era politics…

Obama’s conspicuous scarcity while Trump inflicts such damage isn’t just a bad look. It’s a dereliction of the message that he built his career on. When Obama first ran for president in 2008, his former life as a community organizer was central to his message. His campaign was not merely for him, but for civic action itself—the idea of Americans being invested in their own change. Throughout his time in the White House, he emphasized that “citizen” was his most important title. After he left office in 2017, Obama said that he would work to inspire and develop the next cohort of leaders, which is essentially the mission of his foundation. It would seem a contradiction for him to say that he’s devoting much of his post-presidency to promoting civic engagement when he himself seems so disengaged…

But this might be one of those times for Obama to take a break from the long arc of the moral universe and tend to the immediate crisis. Several Democrats I’ve spoken with said they wish that Obama would stop worrying so much about the “dilution factor.” While Democrats struggle to find their next phenom, Obama could be their interim boss. He could engage regularly, pointing out Trump’s latest abuses. He did so earlier this spring, during an onstage conversation at Hamilton College. He was thoughtful, funny, and sounded genuinely aghast, even angry.

He could do these public dialogues much more often, and even make them thematic. Focus on Trump’s serial violations of the Constitution one week (recall that Obama once taught constitutional law), the latest instance of Trump’s naked corruption the next. Blast out the most scathing lines on social media. Yes, it might trigger Trump, and create more attention than Obama evidently wants. But Trump has shown that ubiquity can be a superpower, just as Biden showed that obscurity can be ruinous. People would notice…

Be interesting to see if this trial balloon attracts any other DC journamalists.

Touchwood Open Thread: <del>Whining </del> Calling for A SaviorPost + Comments (123)

Fighting for Justice in Pennsylvania

by WaterGirl| June 8, 202511:55 am| 22 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

The PA Supreme Court Race Is Every Bit As Important as the One In Wisconsin

This is not your typical judicial retention election, where we can blithely say that judges are almost always retained, so no big deal.
The Rs have mounted a very aggressive campaign to turn out MAGA to vote NO, and everything is on the line in PA in this election.
If we don’t keep these 3 Supreme Court seats, I don’t want it to be because we didn’t try hard enough, or because we didn’t realize what the consequences of a loss would be.

So I want to share some important information, courtesy of RevRick.

The Pennsylvania Judiciary is composed of three appellate courts, the Commonwealth Court, the Superior Court, and the Supreme Court, plus the Court of Common Pleas, which are the trial courts in the Commonwealth, and Magistrate courts. The Supreme Court is the court of final appeal and is composed of seven justices. Its rulings are binding as law in the Commonwealth.

Judicial elections occur in odd-number years for the three appellate courts and the Court of Common Pleas and are for ten year terms. In case of vacancies, the Governor may appoint a justice, subject to confirmation by the Senate. Judges may run for an unlimited number of ten-year terms, subject to a mandatory retirement age of 75. After the initial competitive election, judges may run for reelection by a “yes” or “no” vote.

Pennsylvania has experienced the disastrous consequences of elections in adverse circumstances.

In 2010, the Republicans achieved complete control of the governorship, the legislature, and the Supreme Court. With this control, the GOP was able to make brutally gerrymandered legislative and Congressional districts and pass all sorts of laws undermining rights and public education. And with the Supreme Court in their partisan favor, they were assured that their handiwork would not be undone.

In 2015, thanks to retirements creating vacancies, the Democrats were able to gain control of the Supreme Court. The three justices elected that year will be up for retention. These three justices control the balance of power on the Supreme Court.

If they win, the Democrats will likely retain control of the court well into the 2030s.

I suspect that the corollary is true: If the Rs win, it seems likely that they will retain control of the court until well into the 2030s.

Donate

Reminder: the good folks at The Civics Center found us a $5k external match for any donation of any amount – if we reach our goal.

As soon as we hit our goal for the final $5k, the external donor will match it.

Fighting for Justice in PennsylvaniaPost + Comments (22)

Steve Vladeck on Federalizing the National Guard

by WaterGirl| June 8, 202511:07 am| 56 Comments

This post is in: Breathtaking Criminality and Lawlessness, Grieving for Our Country, Open Threads, Today in Fascism, Why We Fight

I don’t have much to add here, except to share information and link to the source. While not at all surprising, this is a distressing turn of events. He is dancing on a very dangerous line.

I. What Trump Did (and Didn’t) Do

There are a lot of misunderstandings and misinformation out there about what Trump has and hasn’t done, and given that I’ve covered these topics before, it seemed worth a quick explainer on why this move is a big deal—but why it also is not as drastic an escalation (or abuse) as many had feared, at least not yet.

The TL;DR here is that Trump has not (yet) invoked the Insurrection Act, which means that the 2000 additional troops that will soon be brought to bear will not be allowed to engage in ordinary law enforcement activities without violating a different law—the Posse Comitatus Act. All that these troops will be able to do is provide a form of force protection and other logistical support for ICE personnel. Whether that, in turn, leads to further escalation is the bigger issue (and, indeed, may be the very purpose of their deployment). But at least as I’m writing this, we’re not there yet.

II. Why the Memorandum is Still Alarming…

That said, there are still at least three reasons to be deeply concerned about President Trump’s (hasty) actions on Saturday night:

First, there is the obvious concern that, even as they are doing nothing more than “protecting” ICE officers discharging federal functions, these federalized troops will end up using force—in response to real or imagined violence or threats of violence against those officers. In other words, there’s the very real possibility that having federal troops on the ground will only raise the risk of escalating violence—not decrease it.

Second, and related, there is the possibility that that’s a feature, and not a bug—that this is meant as a precursor, with federalizing a modest number of National Guard troops today invoked, some time later, as a justification for more aggressive responses to anti-ICE protests, including, perhaps invocation of the Insurrection Act. In other words, it’s possible that this step is meant to both be and look modest so that, if and when it “fails,” the government can invoke its failure as a basis for a more aggressive domestic deployment of troops. What happens in and around Los Angeles in the next few days will have a lot to say about this.

Third, and perhaps most significantly, as I wrote in April, “domestic use of the military can nevertheless be corrosive—to the morale of the troops involved, all of a sudden, in policing their own; to the relationship between local/state governments and the federal government; and to the broader relationship between the military and civil society.” Even uses of the military for relatively modest purposes can have those corrosive effects—especially where, as here, it seems so transparently in service of the President’s policy agenda, and not necessarily the need to restore law and order on the streets of America’s second largest city.

Even as someone who thinks the federal government has both the constitutional and statutory authority to override local and state governments when it comes to law and order (see, e.g., President Eisenhower sending troops into Little Rock to enforce Brown), it seems to me that there is something deeply pernicious about invoking any of these authorities except in circumstances in which their necessity is a matter of consensus beyond the President’s political supporters. The law may well allow President Trump to do what he did Saturday night. But just because something is legal does not mean that it is wise—for the present or future of our Republic.

A lot depends on what happens next. For now, the key takeaways are that there really isn’t much that these federalized National Guard troops will be able to do—and that this might be the very reason why this is the step the President is taking tonight, rather than something even more aggressive.

THE MEMO.

Steve Vladeck on Federalizing the National GuardPost + Comments (56)

War for Ukraine Day 1,199: Putin & Russia Continue to Unload on Kharkiv

by Adam L Silverman| June 7, 20259:08 pm| 11 Comments

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

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

I am still fried – it has been a very busy, not bad just busy – six weeks or so and I’m still trying to ai my ki. So I’m just going to run through the basics again tonight.

Russia followed on from last night’s attack, hit Kharkiv with glide bombs today:

WARNING!! WARNING!! GRAPHIC IMAGERY!! WARNING!! WARNING!!

The death toll in today’s Russian glide bomb attack on Kharkiv has risen to two. Two more people are in critical condition, and doctors are fighting for their lives.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 4:12 PM

The woman who was killed was the newly appointed director of the children’s railway. This is terrorism.

Inaction is complicity.

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 1:09 PM

16 people have been injured in Kharkiv due to Russian glide bomb strikes, including a 14-year-old boy. 1 person was also killed.

The attack damaged a children’s railway building and a private residence.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 12:37 PM

ALL CLEAR!!!!

More on this and the butcher’s bill from last night after the jump.

President Zelenskyy addressed Trump’s remarks about Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s genocidal re-invasion being like two kids fighting:

We are not kids who are fighting in the park. Putin is a murderer who came to this park to kill the kids – Zelenskyy 🫳 🎤

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 1:41 PM

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

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Just as Pressure Forced Russia Into the Negotiation Process, Pressure Can Force Russia to Become Realistic in Negotiations – Address by the President

7 June 2025 – 20:33

Dear Ukrainians!

Right now, assistance is being provided in Kharkiv to those wounded by Russian bombs. This was a brutal strike on the city, right in the middle of the day. And they have been shelling our city of Kharkiv for almost 24 hours straight. Last night, Kharkiv suffered a massive drone strike, and now it is aerial bombs. Dozens of people have been injured in just one day. Tragically, there are fatalities. My condolences to the families and loved ones.

And no matter what anyone says, these Russian strikes are not “retaliation” but acts of destruction. The complete destruction of life – that is what they want. And in absolutely every city and village on the occupied territory, it is clearly seen what the arrival of Russia means. The only thing the occupiers care about is military infrastructure and their ability to remove all valuables from Ukraine.

In more than eleven years of Russia’s war against us, against Ukraine, they have brought only one new thing to our land – and it is indeed the most widespread Russian “legacy:” ruins and death. We must continue resisting this.

I thank everyone around the world who is helping, who is doing this. No form of pressure on Russia can be eased – neither the formats that are already in place nor the methods of pressure that are being prepared. The Russians are preparing to continue the war and are ignoring all peace proposals. They must be held accountable for this.

We are working to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense. We urgently need positive signals from the United States – concrete signals regarding air defense systems. We are still waiting for a response to our request to purchase systems that can help — concrete signals, not words.

I would like to thank the European countries for the supplies. We must also achieve results in the joint production of air defense systems and missiles for them – this is absolutely essential for our whole Europe. Only time separates us from that result, and what matters most is shortening that time.

And one more thing. Today, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Umerov and Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi reported primarily on the actions of our guys on the frontline. There is much to be thankful for. This week, our warriors successfully destroyed Russian positions – specifically those from which they launched strikes on Ukraine, our communities, and our people. In recent days, three Iskander missile systems were destroyed – this was the destruction of outright killers. There is also a downing of a Russian Su-35 military aircraft and damage to their military helicopters. There have also been new strikes on Russian military logistics and airfields. This helps our defense – every complication for Russia matters to us.

We are aware that the Russians are now trying to show that they are allegedly immune to any pressure. But it is very important for the world to understand: just as pressure forced Russia into the negotiation process, pressure can force Russia to become realistic in negotiations. This is possible precisely because of the pressure, and above all, sanctions on Russian oil and those who still trade with Russia. Russia must end this war that it started. They must be pushed into this outcome.

I thank every one of our partners, all the leaders, and all the countries that help us specifically with this – with new restrictions on Russia and new sanctions. Please do not remain silent about what is really happening, and let us work together for the real result of diplomacy – not just words, but peace. Upcoming are the summits of Southeast Europe, the Group of Seven, the NATO Summit, and other international events – all of which can help, must help, save lives and bring peace closer. Let it be so.

Glory to Ukraine!

Here’s a but more from ABC News’ interview with President Zelenskyy:

First Lady Zelenska visited a mental health program at a hospital in Dnipro today.

She also participated in the opening of a Superhumans regional center in Dnipro:

Georgia:

None of the usual Georgian accounts I follow have posted anything today.

Back to Ukraine.

Allegedly, russian Su-35 had to lay down to rest a bit

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 9:21 AM

Statement of the Air Force of Ukraine:

💥 This morning, June 7, 2025, as a result of a successful operation by the Air Force in the Kursk direction, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet was shot down!

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 4:15 AM

Drone Wars: Tonight’s situation- 3 groups of UA drones heading NE into fascist Russia, one SE into Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Crimea. Russian/Iranian drones heading west from S and E directions. Missile alert Odesa region.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 6:17 PM

🇫🇷🥖ASSM Hammer air strike by MiG-29 on the positions of Russian FPV drone operators. t.me/soniah_hub/1…

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 12:07 PM

🎥 More Footage from SBU’s “Spiderweb” Operation

The video shows the full flight of one of the SBU’s FPV drones — from launch on the rooftop of a modular building all the way to its successful strike on a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber at the “Belaya” airbase.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 9:24 AM

💥 The Switchblade 600 delivers a devastating strike, obliterating a high-value Russian Buk-M3 air defense system in a spectacular detonation.х

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 9:15 AM

Ukraine’s 137th Territorial Defense Battalion uses a homemade rocket launcher on a BMW sedan to target Russian forces.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 2:09 PM

Video by the 11th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of Ukraine showcasing the IRIS-T SLM air defense system in action. In the footage, a Ukrainian soldier describes an episode when he successfully intercepted eight incoming Russian cruise missiles within just 30 seconds, achieving a 100% success rate.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 6:25 AM

Kharkiv:

WARNING!! WARNING!! GRAPHIC IMAGERY!! WARNING!! WARNING!!

Here’s the butcher’s bill that Putin and Russia ran up last night:

If I could, I would scream it into the world — but instead, I write it with shaking hands: RUSSIA STRUCK KHARKIV with 53 DRONES, 4 BOMBS & a MISSILE. It was the LARGEST & MOST RUTHLESS attack on the city since the war began. Three people were killed, 21 injured. THIS IS TERROR.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 1:57 AM

3 people have been found dead in Kharkiv following tonight’s Russian attack on our city. 6 more remain trapped under the rubble and are unresponsive.

22 are injured, including a 14-year-old girl and a two-week-old baby.

The search and rescue operation continues.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 7:50 AM

And this morning:

Kharkiv this morning

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 7:55 AM

16 people have been injured in Kharkiv due to Russian glide bomb strikes, including a 14-year-old boy. 1 person was also killed.

The attack damaged a children’s railway building and a private residence.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 12:37 PM

The harsh reality of russian terror in Kharkiv: as flames rise from a drone strike, sirens scream overhead — and the threat of another attack hangs in the air like smoke.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 2:41 AM

Ukraine attacks aircraft, russia attacks civilians. Feel the difference.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 4:14 AM

If Kharkiv were Chicago, this would be called what it is — terrorism.
But it’s Ukraine.
So russia burns cities and calls it liberation.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 6:43 AM

ALL CLEAR!!!!!

Somewhere in the southern area of responsibility (AOR):

Southern Defense Forces: A locomotive with a column of enemy equipment was hit, destroying 13 tanks and over 100 units of Russian armored and automotive vehicles in a single strike 👀

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 2:38 PM

The Kakhovka Dam:

Two years ago yesterday, russia blew up the Kakhovka dam — unleashing one of the worst disasters of this war.
The international response? Nothing. No accountability. No consequences.
This is how impunity is built — and why it keeps spreading further.

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 8:26 AM

Kyiv:

This shatters my heart into hundreds pieces.
Kyiv first responders paying tribute to their fallen colleagues — murdered by russia while saving lives — at the very site of the war crime.
There are no words strong enough for this pain and grief.
Only justice must speak now.

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) June 6, 2025 at 5:38 AM

The Pokrovsk front:

Ukrainian Spartan brigade, backed by Black Sky drones and artillery, took out two Russian tanks and a mortar on Pokrovsk front.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 9:55 AM

Pokrovsk:

Footage shows Pokrovsk’s Svyato-Varvaryns’ka plant, Ukraine’s largest enrichment facility, opened in 2009, employing thousands in Donbas, destroyed by Russian “liberators.”

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 3:31 AM

Donetsk Oblast:

Ukraine’s 414th “Magyar’s Birds” Brigade stopped two Russian mobile “fortresses” in Donetsk.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 7:21 AM

Ukraine digs in, building vast trench networks, some far from the front. Kramatorsk’s trenches now stretch to Sloviansk, with new foxhole systems beyond these cities, a Ukrainian analyst reports on Telegram.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 7:00 AM

The Kursk cross border offensive:

A Ukrainian special ops team carried out a raid in Russia’s Kursk region, taking out four Russian soldiers and capturing another alive.
Full video: t.me/wartranslate…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 5:55 AM

Moscow:

Errol Musk, Elon Musk’s Father, Arrives in Moscow for “Future 2050 Forum” 😵‍💫

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 4:47 PM

Tula Oblast:

At least 5-8 explosions in Novomoskovsk, Tula Oblast, fascist Russia – local Telegram channels say a drone hit Azot chemical plant, fascist Russia’s largest domestic producer of ammonia and nitrogen fertilizers. There is now a fire at the plant.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 6:30 PM

Nizhni Novgorod Oblast, Russia:

More footages from Kstovo

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 10:11 AM

Moscow Oblast, Russia:

A fire broke out at a warehouse in Pushkino, near Moscow, containing flammable liquids in barrels, gas cylinders, and pallets.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 12:34 PM

The Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia:

Russia has moved two Tu-160 bombers to Anadyr — 6,600 km from Ukraine but only 660 km from the U.S. The move comes after Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s strategic bombers on June 1.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 6:49 AM

That’s enough for tonight.

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Сьогодні народився той, кого я вибрав би з-поміж тисяч. Навіть якби всі ті тисячі тримали в руках по кілограмовому шматку сиру і качечці-пищалці. І викинули б кігтерізку. І заприсяглися ніколи не вмикати пилосос. Я всерівно підбіг би до свого Михайла. Мені не вистачить 2200 символів, аби розповісти вам чому я його так люблю. Але ви можете подумати, що я так пишу, бо він мій господар. А який пес не вважає свою людину кращою у світі, ну? Та річ у тому, що я люблю його не за наші ігри, не за довгі прогулянки і навіть не за те, що він завжди лишає мені крайчик бутерброда. Це все є лише приємними бонусами. Я бачу його неймовірним, коли він робить щось не тільки для мене. Коли сумлінно допомогає людям і тваринкам. Як хвилюється, співпереживає, не скупиться на «може тобі щось потрібно?» і «давай допоможу». Віддає роботі усі сили та вміння. А всю любов — своїй сімʼї. Він нічого не попросив би у вас для себе. І навіть не дав би мені опублікувати цей допис. Бо мій Михайло скромний. Але якщо ви хочете його потішити, то надішліть пару гривень на протез для його побратима Дмитра Захарова. Це буде найкращим подарунком 🎁 PayPal: [email protected] Посилання також у сторіс, в шапці профілю і хайлайтс «Добро» Дякуюююю! Тортиковий лизь вам 👅🍰 #песпатрон

♬ original sound – ringo

Here’s the machine translation of the caption:

Today was born the one I would choose from among thousands. Even if all those thousands held a kilogram piece of cheese and a squealing duck in their hands. And they would throw away the claw. And they swore never to turn on the vacuum cleaner. I would run up to my Mykhailo anyway. I don’t have enough 2,200 characters to tell you why I love him so much. But you might think that I write like that because he is my master. And what dog does not consider his person the best in the world, well? But the fact is that I love him not for our games, not for long walks and not even for the fact that he always leaves me the edge of a sandwich. All these are just nice bonuses. I see him as incredible when he does something not just for me. When he conscientiously helps people and animals. How he worries, empathizes, does not skimp on “maybe you need something?” and “let’s help.” Gives all strength and skills to work. And all love to his family. He wouldn’t ask you for anything for him. And he wouldn’t even let me publish this post. Because my Mykhailo is modest. But if you want to please him, send a couple of hryvnias for a prosthesis for his brother Dmytro Zakharov. This will be the best gift 🎁 PayPal: [email protected] Links are also in stories, in the profile cap and highlights “Dobro” Thank you! Cake lick you 👅🍰#песпатрон

Open thread!

War for Ukraine Day 1,199: Putin & Russia Continue to Unload on KharkivPost + Comments (11)

TL, DR Good Read: ‘The Newest MAGA Intellectual Hero Was Denounced as a Total Crackpot’

by Anne Laurie| June 7, 202510:23 am| 116 Comments

This post is in: Excellent Links, Grifters Gonna Grift

A SparkNotes version of the latest Very Serious Right-Wing Thought Leader spotlight, because the New Yorker takes far too many words, unlike Mr Charles P. Pierce for Esquire:

I can’t do better than James Fallows’s assessment of Curtis Yarvin, the Caesarist Internet crank who has a grip on many members of the techno-Right, including the vice president of the United States of America, J. Divan Vance, and who also seems to be a dumb person’s idea of a smart person, if the dumb person is playing Dungeons & Dragons while watching Gladiator on mushrooms. Yarvin is the subject of a fine profile by Ava Kofman in the current issue of The New Yorker. In a thread on Bluesky, Fallows calls Yarvin a “barroom savant.”

If you’ve lived in a small town, you know the character of the “barroom savant.” Knows the inside story on everything. Knows what “they” are covering up. Tells you that he (always “he”) tested into Mensa. But never went mainstream. Feels sorry for you if you believe what “they” say. And what books you need to read to blow your mind. And did I forget, he has a “genius IQ?” We’ve met this guy before…

To circle back to the start, guy high on his own supply of the virtues of the “high IQ”—as individuals, and as breeding stock. My sample-size of interviewees is limited but over the years have had first-hand exposure to: One [professor] in college. One [professor] in grad school. Nine or ten people I’ve interviewed and written about. Each of whom was a Nobel laureate. Strangely, none talked about their own IQ, or anyone else’s. But this guy does. As Trump does too! I give you, the intellectual leader of Thiel, Vance, Miller, and the MAGA era! (I was tempted to say, “We call it The Aristocrats.”)

C’mon, Fallows. Unleash that inner blogger!

Kofman’s piece is a treasure trove of empowered lunacy spooned out by Yarvin into the hungry mouths of America’s techno-oligarchs—most of whom have a lot more money than sense, as Rod Stewart once sang. He first came to their attention when he was blogging as one Mencius Moldbug and dropped a 120,000-word dung-bomb onto the innocent Intertoobz…

Yarvin also quoted The Matrix in his screed, which is the kind of dead giveaway that a fondness for Atlas Shrugged used to mean. This manner of thinking always will find suckers. The problems always come, however, when they find suckers with money, and Yarvin struck the motherlode…

Deep in the piece, we discover that Yarvin’s flight from political sensibility began with, of all things, disillusionment when he discovered that swift boating John Kerry wasn’t enough to derail his 2004 presidential campaign. Also, Kofman gets major points for describing Yarvin’s crackpottery as being “surrealized” by the Trump administration. The Triumph of the Swill.

TL, DR Good Read: <em>‘The Newest MAGA Intellectual Hero Was Denounced as a Total Crackpot’</em>Post + Comments (116)

Saturday Morning Open Thread: The Week in Miniature

by Anne Laurie| June 7, 20254:51 am| 162 Comments

This post is in: Cat Blogging, Open Threads, Trumpery

The AP's New York office welcomed some special guests when animal experts brought in some kittens from LIC Feral Feeders to raise awareness about "kitten season." Here's what staffers had to say about the experience. pic.twitter.com/NHtOreQnJt

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 5, 2025

It’s graduation season, the height of cake decorating for Walmart, nation’s largest retailer.

AP's retail reporter Anne D'Innocenzio went behind the scenes and got trained to be a cake decorator at this Walmart store in North Bergen, New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/G4OUqF46ST

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 6, 2025

BREAKING: A federal judge has temporarily blocked a proclamation by President Donald Trump that banned incoming foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard University. https://t.co/ukTPerYNik

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 6, 2025

BREAKING: The Trump administration must restore hundreds of millions of dollars in AmeriCorps grant funding and thousands of service workers in about two dozen states, a federal judge ruled. https://t.co/748Q6bm9oB

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 5, 2025

Broken:

DEAN: What's the tariff on bananas?

LUTNICK: Generally 10%

DEAN: Walmart has already increased the cost of bananas by 8%

LUTNICK: If you build in America, there is no tariff

DEAN: We cannot build bananas in America pic.twitter.com/joZgWLND71

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 5, 2025

Musk-Trump Feud Goes Nuclear as Musk Lobs Epstein Accusations, Trump Threatens SpaceX: A Closer Look

Saturday Morning Open Thread: The Week in MiniaturePost + Comments (162)

Betty Cracker on Something Up His Sleeve? (Nov 12, 2025 @ 9:13pm)

NotMax on Something Up His Sleeve? (Nov 12, 2025 @ 9:11pm)

Castor Canadensis on Something Up His Sleeve? (Nov 12, 2025 @ 9:10pm)

Melancholy Jaques on Something Up His Sleeve? (Nov 12, 2025 @ 9:09pm)

Eyeroller on Part 3: There Is No Artificial General Intelligence Down This Road (Nov 12, 2025 @ 9:09pm)

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

No Kings: Americans standing in the way of bad history saying “Oh, Fuck No!”

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

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

White supremacy is terrorism.

We will not go back.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

This blog will pay for itself.

No one could have predicted…

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

We Have A Balloon Juice Angel (!) for the High School Students & PA Supreme Court Race

The PA Supreme Court Race Is Every Bit As Important as the One In Wisconsin

Why do these retention races matter so much?

If Dems don’t retain the seats

If we win, the Democrats will likely retain control of the court well into the 2030s.

Touchwood Open Thread: Whining Calling for A Savior

Fighting for Justice in Pennsylvania

The PA Supreme Court Race Is Every Bit As Important as the One In Wisconsin

Steve Vladeck on Federalizing the National Guard

I. What Trump Did (and Didn’t) Do

II. Why the Memorandum is Still Alarming…

War for Ukraine Day 1,199: Putin & Russia Continue to Unload on Kharkiv

Just as Pressure Forced Russia Into the Negotiation Process, Pressure Can Force Russia to Become Realistic in Negotiations – Address by the President

TL, DR Good Read: ‘The Newest MAGA Intellectual Hero Was Denounced as a Total Crackpot’

Saturday Morning Open Thread: The Week in Miniature