Balloon Juice - Open Threads Archives

Off My Game Open Thread

by Rose Judson| April 24, 20252:43 pm| 121 Comments

This post is in: Cat Blogging, Open Threads

Not feeling at my most graceful this week: slid on some mud on Monday and have been hobbling about on a pulled thigh muscle ever since. At least the cat’s not his usual sleek self, either:

Off My Game Respite Open Thread

He got into the bag and failed to get all the way out.

Still, at least I’m not these bumblers at the DOJ, who sent privileged attorney-client guidance TO A FEDERAL JUDGE BY MISTAKE:

So, uh, it certainly looks like DOJ intended to file a letter to Judge Liman in MTA v. Duffy, but….it accidentally filed a letter containing its legal advice to the Department of Transportation instead

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us…

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— Anna Bower (@annabower.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 2:55 AM

(This is in respect to the case that NYC has brought against the Secretary of Transportation for trying to mess with congestion pricing.) If you can’t read the highlighted text, it says: “it is unlikely that Judge Liman or further courts of review will accept the argument that the CBDTP was not a statutorily authorized ‘value pricing’ pilot under the Value Prising Pilot Program.” I’m not a lawyer, but it seems bad to send that to the judge!

Hopefully that makes you feel better about anything you may have goofed on this week. Open thread.

Off My Game Open ThreadPost + Comments (121)

Righteous Rant!

by WaterGirl| April 24, 202512:45 pm| 116 Comments

This post is in: Criminal Justice, Justice, Open Threads, Racial Justice

Update:

Remember folks, you don’t have to go to every argument you’re invited to, especially when the other guy has already made up his mind. (Thin Black Duke)

If I were teaching a class, this would be required reading.

What’s happening to undocumented immigrants is not new to Black Americans.

by Shalise Manza Young (posting at The Contrarian)

None of what’s happening with undocumented immigrants is new for Donald Trump.

None of what’s happening with undocumented immigrants is new to Black Americans.

A clip of Attorney General Pam Bondi talking about Kilmar Abrego García came up in my Instagram feed last week. Bondi’s white pinstriped suit was accessorized with a sparkling cross, a familiar sight among women in the increasingly fascistic MAGA set.

Apparently the bigger the cross, the bigger the fiction, because not one word that came from Bondi’s mouth was grounded in reality. Kind of like every appearance White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, also a fan of oversized crosses, makes in front of cameras.

Bondi said, “hard stop, [Abrego García] should not be in our country.” That is patently untrue: He was granted legal status to remain here. Bondi: “MS13 is characterized, as it should be, as a foreign terrorist organization.” No evidence has been presented in court that shows Abrego García has ever been a member of MS-13, and, even if he were, merely being in a gang isn’t a crime.

And on and on she went. With every passing day, the story this administration spins about Abrego García gets more fictional as the administration works to convince the American people that it’s OK to snatch a man with no criminal record and the legal right to be in this country and send him to a foreign gulag with no due process.

He’s brown, so they don’t care. And they’re working hard to convince you not to care, too.

For centuries, similarly fantastical tales have been conjured about Black people to justify their subjugation, which is why this is all achingly familiar for the community and those with knowledge of American history.

The message, often buoyed by the media, has long been: They’re Black, so we don’t care, and neither should you.

If you can read the next paragraph without crying or flying into a rage, you are doing better than I am.

It’s nothing we don’t already know, but seeing those sentences lined up one after another, boom, boom, boom. Truth bombs raining down.

show full post on front page

Black men are dullards so they can’t be leaders; they’re violent, so they must be kept under lock and key. Black women are hypersexual, so raping them is allowed. Black people don’t feel pain, so doing medical experiments on them without anesthesia is permitted. They are never to be believed but frequently to be accused, evidence be damned.

Watching that clip of Bondi, my mind drifted to the horrifying story of Marcellus Williams. Last September, Williams, a Black man, was killed by the state of Missouri, with then-Gov. Mike Parson pushing the execution through despite evidence that Williams was innocent of the murder for which he was found guilty in.

Williams isn’t the only one. Stories abound of Black men who were put to death or given life sentences, losing decades with their families for crimes they never committed; the National Registry of Exonerations has tracked acquittals since 1989, and of the 3,663 individuals in its database, 1,952 are or were Black. That’s 53%. Black people are roughly 12.5% of the population in this country.

The way media covers stories also goes a long way in shaping public opinion and upholding the negative stereotypes about Blacks. Just a few days ago, a 20-year-old white man named Phoenix Ikner allegedly opened fire at Florida State University, killing two and wounding six others. His online footprint shows a fascination with Hitler and Nazis, and yet searching his name results in smiling selfies alongside stories of his difficult childhood.

But when teenager Trayvon Martin was killed by self-styled deputy George Zimmerman for the crime of minding his own business in a neighborhood Zimmerman thought Martin didn’t belong in, NBC News posted a story headlined, “Trayvon Martin was suspended three times from school.” After George Floyd was murdered in front of onlookers by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for being suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill, some outlets worked overtime to highlight Floyd’s time in jail and other issues. In both cases, portrayals of Martin and Floyd gave the impression that their deaths were deserved.

The kidnappings of Abrego García and all the men who have been disappeared to El Salvador have something else in common with Black people: no due process.

Floyd was killed after merely being accused. New York police killed Eric Garner for the misdemeanor of selling untaxed cigarettes in 2014. A year ago, four teenagers suspected of stealing a car died after the car they were in was intentionally rammed by police, causing it to wrap around a pole. No matter what any of those Black individuals were accused of or had done previously, they deserved their day in court, just as the Constitution promises.

See why all of this is so familiar? Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, presidential adviser Stephen Miller—they all keep screaming that the men they’ve trafficked to prison in El Salvador are violent “aliens,” even though reporting shows very few of them have a criminal history and were swept up on often ludicrous allegations, like the interpretation of an “Autism speaks” tattoo as one representing a violent gang.

They’re all following the lead of Trump. There’s 50 years of evidence of Trump’s racial animus, beginning with the first time his name appeared in The New York Times: All the way back in 1973, the Justice Department brought suit against Trump and his father for refusing to rent apartments to Black applicants.

He began his political career by widening his scope of non-white targets, calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, though he so generously added, “some, I assume, are good people.” Campaigning a year ago, he called undocumented immigrants “animals” and “not human.”

To be sure, Trump and his cronies haven’t backed off their racism toward Black folk. Moves made by defense secretary and enthusiastic Signal user Pete Hegseth—such as questioning in one of his books whether since-fired chairman of the joint chiefs, four-star Gen. C.Q. Brown, was promoted to his role because of his race; saying “the dumbest phrase on planet Earth is ‘diversity is our strength'”; and banning the celebration of Black History Month in schools on military bases—clearly demonstrate his beliefs about Black Americans.

Latino migrants are their target now, but when Trump floated the idea of sending American citizens to the concentration camp in El Salvador, alarm bells immediately went off for Black people. History—both American and Trumpian—tells them who would be at the top of the list if or when that time comes.

This writer is someone to watch.

Here’s her short bio at the end of the article on The Contrarian:

Shalise Manza Young was most recently a columnist at Yahoo Sports, focusing on the intersection of race, gender and culture in sports. The Associated Press Sports Editors named her one of the 10 best columnists in the country in 2020. She has also written for the Boston Globe and Providence Journal.

Find her on Bluesky @shalisemyoung

Open thread.

Righteous Rant!Post + Comments (116)

Low Quality Hires

by Betty Cracker| April 24, 202510:47 am| 122 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity

I don’t mean to horn in on Adam’s territory, but remember when Trump said he was going to end Russia’s war against Ukraine within 24 hours of retaking office — nay, even before he takes office? Well, nearly 100 interminable days into his shitty and shameful second term, Trump is reduced to begging Putin to stop indiscriminately murdering Ukrainians.

Trump begs Vladimir Putin to stop bombing Kyiv via indirect Truth social post

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— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 9:07 AM

It’s usually poor form to tell someone how to post — as one funny dude on Bluesky put it, “it’s social media, not social youdia.” But yeah, maybe DM Putin instead of shrieking “Vladimir STOP!” like a Vladivostok fishwife? It’s embarrassing.

And this senator, sounding like an embarrassed dad trying to talk a Golden Corral manager out of firing his son, who was caught jerking off in the mop closet.

GOP Senator: Pete Hegseth can still be a great Secretary of Defense, he’s gonna need some help. He has lacked expertise in the building

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— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 2:48 PM

That’s not how it works, senator. That’s not how any of this works!

And then here’s this irredeemable asshole, who really sucks at her job:

Host: You’re the State Department spokesperson. It’s very fair for me to ask you questions about public information involving Rubio skipping Ukraine talks.

Bruce: I will not have this discussion on television. You need to accept my answers. You need to accept my answers

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— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 10:07 AM

Low quality hires from top to bottom. Like Kay says, they never get any better.

Open thread.

Low Quality HiresPost + Comments (122)

Thursday Morning Open Thread

by Betty Cracker| April 24, 20257:39 am| 151 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Can’t tell y’all how relieved I was to see Anne Laurie checking in here yesterday. We’ve been bumbling along as best we can without her, but it’s not the same. Especially in the morning, at least for me.

It’s like looking forward to a breakfast of eggs, home fries, bacon, toast with jam and dark roast coffee (an AL morning thread), and then someone plops down a bowl of plain oatmeal and cup of decaf Sanka (this post). I mean, you’re hungry, so you’ll eat it. But damn.

Anne Laurie, you are beloved and irreplaceable, and we’re all rooting for the fastest and most pain-free recovery possible so that you can be speedily restored to your feisty critters and Spousal Unit. And us.

***

If you’re a Democrat or other variety of non-fascist in the state, Florida politics are relentlessly depressing, but sometimes there’s a bright spot in the form of a slap-fight among terrible elected Republicans. That’s happening now as Ron DeSantis’s governorship lumbers toward its ignominious end and the knives come out among would-be power centers in the statehouse.

Ron set his wife up for a grift-o-rama and possible run for governor her own self with a charity called Hope Florida. They rolled it out with great fanfare, but it’s basically a referral service that funnels needy folks to existing programs, including GOP-aligned religious proselytizing/grift outfits.

It turns out Hope Florida also functioned as a dark money laundromat that directed $10 million in refunded Medicaid dollars to oppose a 2024 ballot initiative that would have made recreational pot legal in the state. Statehouse Republicans are investigating, and Ron isn’t pleased.

“We have this almost 3-to-1 supermajority of Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives, and it is rotten,” DeSantis said last week. “They are behaving more like Democrats. They are colluding with the left. They are colluding with the media to try to sabotage all of the great success that Florida has had over these last six years.”

The governor went on to call out what he said were manufactured smears against him and his wife.

“Some people feel threatened by the first lady. Let’s just be clear about that,” the governor said. “They know this; you saw her up here. You know, if you’re looking at 2026 and you’ve got some horse, you don’t want her anywhere near that. You’re very worried because she runs circles around their people. Everybody knows that.”

Everybody doesn’t know that! However, it’s true that Casey DeSantis, a former local Fox affiliate TV personality, can simulate humanity more effectively than her lumpen spouse. But that’s true of cypress stumps and fence posts from Pensacola to Key West. Anyhoo, rooting for injuries!

***

In other news, Trump tried to repeal the Civil Rights Act via executive order last night to — get this — “restore equality of opportunity and meritocracy.” The irony of a daddy-funded, serially bankrupt, corrupt felon yapping about “meritocracy” aside, do the Trump people even know how any of this shit works? Like laws and stuff?

It’s just Fox News theater, I guess. Seriously, take a look at that propaganda site every now and then if you want to understand what your brain-wormed neighbors are thinking. We aren’t living in the same country and haven’t been for a long time.

***

Lastly, to end on a more positive note, who wants to see a Roseate Spoonbill poop? You do!

Everybody poops. #birds

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— Betty Cracker of Florida (@bettycrackerfl.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 5:06 AM

You are welcome.

Open thread!

ETA: To elaborate on the weird DeSantis quote above, the “other horse” Ron’s referring to is U.S. House Rep. Byron Donalds, whom Trump has already endorsed for governor. I don’t think Donalds has even officially thrown his hat into the ring, but Trump will never forgive DeSantis for running against him in the primary, so he moved to preemptively cut Casey off at the knees.

Thursday Morning Open ThreadPost + Comments (151)

Overnight Open Thread: Some Laughs, Some Kindness

by TaMara| April 24, 202512:30 am| 64 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Here’s an open thread for the night owls and early risers. It’s all things to give your brain a break. Somehow, these seem to be controversial posts, LOL. But just try and stop me…

First up, your weekly Josh Johnson:

And just an awesome kid doing awesome things:

Totally open thread

Overnight Open Thread: Some Laughs, Some KindnessPost + Comments (64)

War for Ukraine Day 1,154: If a Paper Tiger Roars in the Forest, Does Anyone Notice?

by Adam L Silverman| April 23, 202511:00 pm| 18 Comments

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

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

It is 10:00 PM EDT/5 AM local time in Ukraine and the entire country is under air raid alert. This is a combined Russian missile and drone attack. The alert has been up for hours:

Four more great big bangs here in the west of Kyiv. Ballistic missiles. Kharkiv also under missile attack. Whole country on alert.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 6:13 PM

The last several hours have been brutal here in Kharkiv. We’ve been hit by 7 missiles and 11 Russian drones. It was relentless, truly overwhelming, and terrifyingly, the attack continues.

Russian cruise missiles are already inside our airspace, and more drones are coming

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 8:54 PM

The Ukrainians are counterattacking:

Even as the Kremlin unleashes its missiles and drones on Ukraine, a very large Ukrainian drone counter-attack against fascist Russia is going on tonight as well.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 7:34 PM

The US brokered/backed negotiations between Ukraine and Russia broke down earlier today when the US decided not to show up.

Ukraine’s asked for support, not surrender instructions. If the US wants to redraw borders, maybe it should start with its own.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 6:32 AM

Predictably, peace negotiations involving the White House went nowhere. The regime in the White House was peddling a softer version of Russia’s demands, which were non-starters. Ukraine doesn’t need Trump to sign such deals.

Another failed election promise

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 11:18 AM

Reuters, citing sources, reports that Ukraine has prepared a document stating there will be no discussions on territorial issues until a “full and unconditional ceasefire” is achieved. This is reportedly the reason why the negotiations in London fell apart.
www.reuters.com/world/europe…

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 9:38 AM

From Reuters:

WASHINGTON/LONDON/PARIS, April 23 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy clashed again on Wednesday on efforts to end the three-year-old war in Ukraine, with the U.S. leader chiding Zelenskiy for refusing to recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea.

Trump’s Vice President JD Vance said it was time for Russia and Ukraine to either agree to a U.S. peace proposal “or for the United States to walk away from this process,” echoing a warning from Trump last week.

Speaking to reporters in India, Vance said the proposal called for freezing territorial lines “at some level close to where they are today” and a “long-term diplomatic settlement that hopefully will lead to long-term peace.”

“The only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, to freeze this thing,” he said.

A former Western official familiar with the U.S. proposal said it also called for the recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Since taking office in January, Trump has upended U.S. policy toward the war in Ukraine, pressing Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire while easing pressure on Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022.

Zelenskiy on Tuesday reiterated that Ukraine would never cede Crimea to Russia, which seized control of the peninsula in 2014 in a move that was condemned internationally. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution,” he said.This all happened as both Trump and his spokeswoman amped up the rhetoric on Ukraine.

More at the link.

“Ukraine is ready to negotiate, but not to surrender.” -said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 8:27 AM

Leavitt: “In order to make a good deal, both sides have to walk away a little unhappy. And unfortunately, President Zelenskyy has been trying to litigate this peace negotiation in the press. And that’s unacceptable to the president … the president is frustrated. His patience is wearing thin.”

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM

And there it is. Trump comes out in favor of codifying Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and blames Zelenskyy for Putin’s aggression.

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 23, 2025 at 12:04 PM

Russia can make this claim in the knowledge that Trump is busy savaging Zelensky in public & will probably blame Ukraine for any collapse of diplomacy.

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— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 4:43 PM

There is no address or press conference from President Zelenskyy today.

show full post on front page

Georgia:

Day 147 of #GeorgiaProtests.
New, free and fair elections, and the release of the regime prisoners.
📷 MOSE

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 4:53 PM

1/ Activist Albi Korzaia says the Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated administrative proceedings against her — according to her, an investigator from the ministry informed her that she is being accused of insulting the head of GD’s investigative commission, Tea Tsulukiani.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 6:22 AM

2/ Albi Korzaia said: “They called me — it was an investigator. They said administrative proceedings had been launched against me for insulting Ms. Tea Tsulukiani”.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 6:22 AM

3/ “I repeated the same words: that she is a Russian, a traitor to the country. They told me I need to show up, but I said I have no intention of going anywhere”.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 6:22 AM

4/ On April 12, citizens gathered in protest outside Tea Tsulukiani’s residence. Dozens of patrol and criminal police officers were deployed to the scene.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 6:22 AM

5/ The protest was sparked after Tsulukiani referred to a national hero — who was beaten to death during the 2008 Russia–Georgia war — as someone “pointlessly sacrificed for someone’s PR stunt.”

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 6:22 AM

🔴Mariam Nikuradze has been fined for the fourth time for “artificially blocking the road” while performing her journalistic duties.

🔴The total amount of the fines has reached GEL 20,000 (approximately €6,400). According to @mariamnikuradze.bsky.social, all of the fines are being appealed.

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— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) April 23, 2025 at 11:06 AM

This man has been hospitalized after he was dragged by the court security today. There were brawls after an unlawful regime prisoner trial. #terrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 12:27 PM

Remember this guy, Davit Gunashvili, visibly taken off the pedestrian sidewalk by the regime police for no reason whatsoever?

He’s now been jailed for 7 days for this grave offense. #terrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 7:47 AM

The US:

I want to come back to this:

🔴 The Kremlin says Ukraine must withdraw from its four internationally recognized regions for the war to end—calling it a “condition for peace.”
united24media.com/latest-news/…

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— UNITED24 Media (@united24media.com) April 23, 2025 at 3:11 PM

From UNITED24 Media:

Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the war against Ukraine could end “immediately” if Ukrainian troops withdraw from four regions that Russia has included in its constitution.

Speaking in an interview with Le Point on April 23, Peskov reiterated Russia’s longstanding demands, stating, “We want to achieve our goals. Peacefully or militarily.”

According to Peskov, Russia sees Ukraine’s potential NATO membership as a direct threat to its security. As a result, Moscow insists that Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, which are currently under partial Russian control.

Russia’s actions are widely considered unlawful under international law, specifically the principles outlined in the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the acquisition of territory by force.

“We need a neutral status for Ukraine and recognition of the reality for the territories,” Peskov said. He emphasized that Russia’s constitution now enshrines the four regions, asserting that any move by Ukraine to challenge Russia’s control would be unacceptable.

“If Ukraine withdraws its troops from these four regions, the military operations will cease instantly,” he added.

Peskov also stated that Russia does not demand the resignation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but he noted that any documents signed by Zelenskyy could be contested due to the “illegitimacy” of his leadership in Moscow’s view.

In related news, US President Donald Trump criticized Zelenskyy in a Truth Social post, calling Zelenskyy’s stance “very harmful” to peace negotiations, asserting that Crimea was lost to Russia years ago under former US President Barack Obama.

None of this is going to happen. No Ukrainian leader is going to recognize that Donetsk, Luhanks, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Oblasts are part of Russia. Just as no Ukrainian leader is going to admit that they will give up on Crimea even if achieving the strategic objective of retaking it is not feasible right now.

To answer Bupalos’ question from last night:

I have no idea what to make of this supposed leaking to Western Media of the plans to bribe and flatter Trump. Almost just sounds like a kind of insulting and trolling Trump. Or I guess it could be a genuine attempt to sabotage a cease-fire negotiation by the ultra-nationalist faction? Dunno. It’s certainly hard to take at anything like face value.

The point of those leaks, the point of Peskov’s statements, is to try to establish Russian assertions as facts and to make Trump and his team look weak and easily manipulated by Putin and Russia. To make Trump, his team, and the US look like a paper tiger.

The Financial Times has more on all of this:

President Donald Trump has attacked Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing to recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea, accusing him of harming peace negotiations with Moscow.

In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the US president described the situation for Ukraine as “dire”. “He can have Peace, or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” Trump said.

“We are very close to a Deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,” he added.

Trump was responding to a remark by Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Tuesday, when he told reporters that Ukraine would “not legally recognise the occupation of Crimea”, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014 and that is still internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.”

The US president responded that the statement was “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia”, adding that Crimea “was lost years ago . . . and is not even a point of discussion”.

Later on Wednesday, Trump again pointed to Ukraine’s president as the obstacle to a deal. “I will say that I think Russia is ready . . . I think we have a deal with Russia.” He added: “I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelenskyy. So far, it’s been harder.”

His intervention came days after the US floated ideas for a possible resolution of the war that included Washington recognising Russian control over Crimea as well as at least acknowledging the Kremlin’s de facto control of parts of four regions in eastern Ukraine — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — that it holds.

As Trump spoke in Washington, Ukraine’s Air Force announced an air raid alert across the country. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko also reported several fires had erupted from drones downed by air defences.

“Putin is only showing a desire to kill,” said Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff.

Angel Match from PatrickG for The Civics Center Effort in PA

by WaterGirl| April 23, 20252:17 pm| 29 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

On Monday I wrote about this exciting new effort in Pennsylvania – from The Civics Center.

If you missed the post, click below to see all the details. it’s impressive. Well thought out.

Exciting New Effort, With An Eye Toward the PA Supreme Court Retention Election In November

frosty was an Angel for this yesterday, and we met his match! PatrickG wrote today with a $1,000 Angel offer – thank you Patrick!!

Patrik will match up to $50 per person, up to a total of $1,000. To be matched, tell us about your donation in the comments or by email.

The Match Starts Now!

Donate

Angel Match from PatrickG for The Civics Center Effort in PAPost + Comments (29)

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

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

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

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

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Off My Game Open Thread

Righteous Rant!

What’s happening to undocumented immigrants is not new to Black Americans.

Low Quality Hires

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Overnight Open Thread: Some Laughs, Some Kindness

War for Ukraine Day 1,154: If a Paper Tiger Roars in the Forest, Does Anyone Notice?

Angel Match from PatrickG for The Civics Center Effort in PA