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War for Ukraine Day 1,123: Not the Best, Nor the Brightest

by Adam L Silverman| March 23, 202510:28 pm| 30 Comments

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

Last night I highlighted “Special” Envoy Witkoff’s interview with Tucker Carlson. The transcript has now been published and a read through of that shows his remarks were even worse than the initial clips indicated.

Witkoff transcript is just eye popping: “Why would they want to absorb Ukraine? For what purpose, exactly? They don’t need to absorb Ukraine. That would be like occupying Gaza…They want stability there… But the Russians also have what they want” singjupost.com/transcript-o…

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— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) March 23, 2025 at 2:49 AM

Here’s some excerpts:

STEVE WITKOFF: Well, first of all, I think President Trump sets the table for all of us. He really does this whole peace through strength thing. It’s not just a slogan. It actually works. And so when he dispatches you to go to the Middle East, people are almost a little bit intimidated before you get there. And this goes for me and other people who are doing similar jobs. So he sets the table in a pretty powerful way.

But negotiating is being outcome oriented. I talk about this a lot. It’s figuring out where you want to get to. That’s Trump’s game plan all the time. I sit with the president and we talk often about what the end game is, where does he want to get to? And once you decide where you want to get to, then it’s all about tactically figuring out what that pathway is.

With the Middle East, you know, Tucker, when I first got in and I was talking to Brett McGurk, who was the envoy on behalf of Biden, he was a smart guy.

TUCKER CARLSON: Yes.

STEVE WITKOFF: He just didn’t have a great boss giving him direction. So he couldn’t really speak on behalf of Biden. I was able to speak on behalf of Trump because we talked about it. We had a great conversation about it. He said to me, “This is where I want to get to, Steve.” And so when I went in there, I went in with the imprimatur of the president, and that’s the difference maker.

Let me remind everyone that Witkoff and Trump have now been thoroughly completed played by Bibi over the past three months! And exactly the same way that Trump and his other surrogates spent all of 2024 mocking Biden and his team for being played by Bibi. Go read the entire section dealing with Israel, especially the parts where he talks about Qatar. Then go read this Haaretz reporting on what is being called in Israel Qatargate.

STEVE WITKOFF: I think we’ve made more progress again. Look, Tucker, I’m not just saying it – every solution comes as a result of President Trump. And I don’t get paid to say that. I say it because it is the absolute truth. Putin’s got a huge respect for the President. And, you know, you saw what happened in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy and the President. Disrespecting him is not a healthy way to have a good relationship.

TUCKER CARLSON: The arrogance of small countries. It’s like, get some perspective. I mean, come on, how can you imagine acting like that?

STEVE WITKOFF: And they’re dependent on us. Oh, I know. And we’ve been so good to them.

TUCKER CARLSON: I know.

STEVE WITKOFF: But look, that’s been corrected and that’s a really good thing. It got corrected. And hopefully we’ll chalk it up to a misunderstanding and we’ll get to a peace solution here.

But I believe that we have made more progress in this Russian-Ukraine conflict in the last eight weeks than anyone thought we would ever make. I hear people describe this last conversation that the President had with President Putin as unsuccessful. It’s preposterous. By the way, we talked throughout a two-hour conversation about an ultimate ceasefire. And there are conditions that the Russians will need for an ultimate ceasefire, because an ultimate ceasefire is complicated. There’s Kursk where Ukrainian troops are surrounded. Fact. And the Russians…

STEVE WITKOFF: And the president had a great relationship with Vladimir Putin in his first term. So I think Vladimir Putin knew that it was going to be hard for the president at this time to come over to Russia. I think they’re going to meet in the coming few months. But I think it was enormously gracious for him to accept me. And I need to acknowledge that.

TUCKER CARLSON: That’s why I went over there last year, because I thought we’re moving toward a nuclear war. And I just feel like if no one’s talking to Putin, like, someone should at least broadcast his views to the world because we could have a war otherwise. That was my thinking. Anyway.

STEVE WITKOFF: When I came back after—before the first meeting with President Putin, when President Trump said to me, go over and have that conversation. I think we’re going to have a good, healthy conversation. Before that conversation, there was no talk about a Black Sea moratorium. There was no conversation about an energy infrastructure moratorium on hits between the two. We were not talking about prisoner exchanges and all kinds of other stuff after one meeting.

And I am saying to you, not because of me, because this was President Trump sending a signal to President Putin that he wanted to resume his relationship together and that they were going to be two great leaders figuring out this conflict. That was the message. That was me coming there. That was my message to President Putin. I was directed by President Trump to deliver that message, that we were here to begin a real discussion, a productive discussion about how to end this conflict. And President Putin, to his credit, sent all kinds of signals back to the president that this is the path that he wanted to be on, including statements that he made.

In the second visit that I had, it got personal. President Putin had commissioned a beautiful portrait of President Trump from the leading Russian artist and actually gave it to me and asked me to take it home to President Trump, which I brought home and delivered to him. It’s been reported in the paper, but it was such a gracious moment.

And told me a story, Tucker, about how when the president was shot, he went to his local church and met with his priest and prayed for the president, not because he was the President of the United States or could become the President of the United States, but because he had a friendship with him and he was praying for his friend. I mean, can you imagine sitting there and listening to these kind of conversations?

And I came home and delivered that message to our president and delivered the painting, and he was clearly touched by it. So this is the kind of connection that we’ve been able to reestablish through, by the way, a simple word called communication, which many people would say, you know, I shouldn’t have had, because Putin is a bad guy. I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy. That is a complicated situation, that war and all the ingredients that led up to it. You know, it’s never just one person, right? So I think we’re going to figure it out.

TUCKER CARLSON: It’s like a marriage. I mean, you can blame the other person all you want, but you’re implicated in it, too. So that’s just a fact. That’s just human nature. So it does raise the question. Everything you’ve said, I don’t think any fair person—everything you’ve just said about Russia, Ukraine, any fair person would acknowledge. Yeah, that’s true. But there has to be some reason that none of this has been acknowledged for three and a half years. Why the effort to prevent Americans from hearing the other side from understanding the conflict in its totality, not just parts of it, but the whole thing. Why the censorship designed to keep us from knowing what’s actually happening?

STEVE WITKOFF: Because that’s what we’ve been enduring.

TUCKER CARLSON: Oh, I know.

There is much more divorced from reality stupidity at the link. Remember, Witkoff thinks the Qataris are great, the Emir is a wonderful guy, and with the Qataris help, he on behalf of Trump had ended the Gaza war. The reality is that Haaretz has now reported that the Qataris were actually running, as in financing, Bibi’s prime ministerial office, which is why Bibi is trying to fire both the Director of the Shin Bet and the Israeli Attorney General. It is also why Israel has restarted the Gaza war, done so with even fewer restraints, if that’s even possible, amended the law authorizing that war to now include the West Bank, and reinstated convicted terrorist Itamir Ben Gvir as Minister of National Security, who is in charge of the Israeli police. They’ve also restarted the war in south Lebanon.

But wait, there’s more!

Walz, like Witkoff, appears clueless on the basics of his own brief. Embarrassing. “…we will have this cease-fire on aerial infrastructure. That went into place immediately after President Trump’s call with President Putin this week” newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/us-sees…

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— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) March 23, 2025 at 5:28 PM

WTF is “aerial” infrastructure?

From RBC Ukraine:

The White House confirms progress in the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. It is noted that it started after a conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, informs CBS News, citing US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

A journalist pointed out that Ukraine had accepted the US-brokered ceasefire without preconditions, according to the announcement. Meanwhile, Russia claimed it would restrict its operations to targeting energy infrastructure. She asked about the goal of the upcoming negotiations in Saudi Arabia.

Waltz responded that they were closer to peace in Ukraine than ever before. According to him, it all started when President Trump held calls with the leaders of both countries. After that, he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio engaged both Russians and Ukrainians in negotiations at their level.

Biden and his senior natsec team were terrible because they were too risk averse on problem sets where they need to be more risk accepting (Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s genocidal re-invasion) and to risk accepting when they needed to be much more risk averse (dealing with Israel and Bibi). This led them to make a number of strategic mistakes and strategic malpractice despite being very smart, very experienced, and very accomplished. Trump and his team are just off the looking glass and their the map in terms of naivete and incompetence.

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

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Every Night Now Brings Massive Russian Drone Attacks – Nearly a Hundred Shaheds Each Time – Address by the President

23 March 2025 – 20:33

Dear Ukrainians!

First and foremost, gratitude to our air defenders. Every night now brings massive Russian drone attacks – nearly a hundred Shaheds each time. Many are being shot down. As of this morning alone, 97 drones were shot down overnight. Mobile fire groups, electronic warfare units, air defense crews – thank you. Unfortunately, there are also hits. We need significantly more effectiveness in our air defense. The development of an efficient air shield will not stop. Today, I would like to thank all our partners who are helping us in this. But we need more air defense systems, more ammunition specifically for shooting down drones. We are discussing this with all our partners. Last night in Kyiv, tragically, three people were killed by Russian drones, including a father and his five-year-old daughter. Just a day earlier in Zaporizhzhia, a Russian strike took the lives of an entire family – a mother, a father, and their daughter. My condolences to all the families and loved ones. There must be more pressure on Russia to stop this terror. And that depends on all our partners – the U.S., Europe, and others around the world. After the last meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, it has become absolutely clear to the entire world: Russia is the only one dragging this war out, the only one that brought it here – and the only one who needs it to continue. Since March 11, a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table – and these attacks could have already stopped. But it is Russia that continues all this. Every night, every single day, it carries out the most cynical strikes. Without pressure on Russia, those in Moscow will continue to show contempt for real diplomacy and keep destroying lives. Today is the second meeting between the Ukrainian and U.S. teams in Saudi Arabia. This time at a more technical level – with our military, diplomats, and representatives from the Ministry of Energy. I just spoke with Rustem Umerov, who briefed me on the meeting and the course of negotiations. Our team is working in a fully constructive manner, and the discussion is quite useful. The work of delegations continues. But no matter what we’re discussing with our partners right now, Putin must be pushed to issue a real order to stop the strikes – because the one who brought this war must be the one to take it back.

Today, I also want to recognize our warriors – all of our men and women in the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, in the defense industry of our state, all of our volunteers, and everyone who is working to uphold Ukraine’s resilience. All our people, thanks to whom Ukraine’s positions are strong – thank you! And especially – the warriors of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade – well done! The 59th Separate Assault Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces – yesterday, I had the opportunity to personally thank this brigade in the Donetsk region, and today, once again, for their results in combat – thank you! The 152nd Separate Mechanized Brigade – thank you very much, warriors! The warriors of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade – thank you for your successful actions in the liberation of the village of Nadiya in the Luhansk region. Every day, our people prove that Ukraine deserves respect, deserves to be treated as an equal, and deserves a dignified peace. I am proud of our people! Thank you to everyone around the world, everyone who stands with Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

Georgia:

Day 116. New, free and fair Parliamentary elections, and the release of the regime prisoners. #GeorgiaProtests
📷 Giorgi Burjanadze

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM

There are 3 choices for Russia’s European neighbours:

1. NATO integration;
2. Russian invasion;
3. Having a Russian puppet regime with all the social darkness it carries – and which doesn’t even guarantee a lack of Russian military adventurism.

No wonder we all rush to NATO.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 23, 2025 at 3:51 PM

Moscow on the Potomac:

Any half-competent negotiator in Russia should be asking for this, given the rubes sitting across the table. Why not?

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— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) March 23, 2025 at 11:56 AM

From The Moscow Times:

As high-level delegations from the U.S. and Russia arrive in Saudi Arabia for the second round of bilateral talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, Moscow’s envoys will have one goal on their mind: buying time.

For the Kremlin, dragging out peace negotiations for as long as possible is imperative for seizing as much Ukrainian territory as it can and getting an upper hand over Kyiv in relations with the U.S., as Moscow isn’t capable of making these battlefield advances quickly, four sources familiar with the Kremlin’s thinking told The Moscow Times.

All of these sources spoke on condition of anonymity in order to share details about sensitive diplomatic matters.

“Time is currently on our side, and we’ll try to make the most of it,” a Russian diplomat told The Moscow Times.

While President Vladimir Putin said that he agreed in principle to Trump’s proposed 30-day ceasefire, he stressed that “nuances” are important for Moscow — a signal that Russia will insist on its maximalist demands before it agrees to lay down arms.

It is those nuances that Putin’s envoys have been tasked with starting to address in detail at the talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Monday.

Ideally, the Kremlin hopes that Washington will either tacitly allow Russia to keep advancing on the battlefield while diplomats negotiate — or even pressure Kyiv to fully withdraw its troops from Russian-occupied regions, including Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, said a current Russian official.

Moscow claims that the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are Russian territory despite not fully controlling any of them.

Moscow is bent on solidifying control over these regions at any cost, as Putin cannot politically afford to abandon them after enshrining their status in the Constitution, a Kremlin-linked official said.

“There is no constitutional mechanism for regions to secede. We need all of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Either Trump influences them to leave, or we’re told: ‘Enter into long negotiations and simply use military force to establish control.’ That’s the worst option for us, because river crossings are always painful operations,” the official said.

Alternately, Russia could try to seize parts of another Ukrainian region such as Dnipropetrovsk or Sumy and then offer a trade for Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the official continued.

“We hope to find an option that doesn’t involve forcing the Dnipro and storming Kherson [the city is on the right bank; Russian forces control the left]. I really hope it doesn’t come to that. That would mean for us thousands of casualties,” he said.

In terms of military logistics, Russian forces in their current state cannot realistically aim for anything beyond the Sloviansk-Dnipropetrovsk area, he added.

“Physically, this force can’t go anywhere further or do anything more,” he said. “Reaching Odesa is, of course, impossible. And we don’t even need that.”

Moscow is sending seasoned negotiators for its second meeting with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Among them is Senator Grigory Karasin, a former deputy foreign minister who spent 47 years in the Foreign Ministry and for many years handled the “Ukrainian dossier,” including participation in drafting both Minsk agreements, which the Kremlin considered a major success.

Sergei Beseda, another Ukraine expert who serves as an advisor to FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, will also be present at the talks.

For years, Beseda headed the FSB’s Fifth Service, which was responsible for intelligence gathering, source recruitment and subversive activities in Ukraine.

He played a key role in planning the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. After the invasion failed in its initial goals of capturing Kyiv and decapitating the Ukrainian leadership, Beseda was reportedly placed under house arrest, according to journalists Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan.

When determining which lands will go to which side, Moscow believes that the exact location of the dividing line is not of critical importance to Washington, two Russian officials told The Moscow Times.

“As I understand it, Trump wants a modern, well-armed, pro-Western Ukraine. He can’t just give Ukraine up entirely. But where exactly the border is drawn is not that crucial to him,” a Moscow Times source said.

As The Moscow Times has previously reported, Russia will try to paint Ukraine as the obstacle to peace in hopes of nabbing concessions from Washington.

Although the Kremlin has not agreed to Trump’s proposal of a full ceasefire and a partial ceasefire halting strikes on energy infrastructure has not yet been signed, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has already started to accuse Kyiv of violations.

Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have launched heavy strikes in recent days.

“We believe the ceasefire proposed by the U.S. president has already been violated by the Kyiv regime. How the American side will now deal with this deranged terrorist scum, excuse my language — that’s a big question,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the state-run Channel One broadcaster on Thursday night.

Moscow wants these negotiations to be worked out in as much detail as the second Minsk Agreements. Doing so could take a significant amount of time — as much as several weeks.

“Things are unfolding more according to Russia’s scenario. Whether this moratorium [on strikes on energy infrastructure and ships in the Black Sea] will happen is still unclear,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of the Kremlin-friendly journal Russia in Global Affairs. “But even if it’s implemented, it won’t directly change the situation on the battlefield, where the initiative currently belongs to Russia.”

Yet Israeli military expert David Sharp cast doubt on the idea that Russia could realistically capture as much land as it wants without external help before a peace deal is reached.

“The Russian army is incapable of quickly and fully occupying the territories of the four annexed Ukrainian regions. For Russians, capturing even a couple of villages is seen as a huge success,” Sharp told The Moscow Times.

“In order to cross the Dnipro and seize Kherson — or even take the city of Zaporizhzhia without having to cross the river, as Zaporizhzhia lies on both banks — something extraordinary would have to happen. This is an extremely difficult task. Either the Russian army would have to be dramatically strengthened, which cannot happen suddenly or out of nowhere, or there would need to be a complete collapse of Ukraine’s defense. Russia is betting on wearing down the enemy over time,” Sharp said.

Medium Cool – Which Was Better? – The Movie or the Book?

by WaterGirl| March 23, 20257:00 pm| 238 Comments

This post is in: Books, Medium Cool, Open Threads, Popular Culture, TV & Movies, Culture as a Hedge Against This Soul-Sucking Political Miasma We're Living In

Medium Cool is a weekly series related to popular culture, mostly film, TV, and books, with some music and games thrown in. We hope it’s a welcome break from the anger, hate, and idiocy we see almost daily from the other side in the political sphere.

Arguments welcomed, opinions respected, fools un-suffered. We’re here every Sunday at 7 pm.

Which was better? The movie or the book? (e.g. Three Pines, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice)

If this goes well, we will have a short series of “Which is Better? Medium Cool posts.

So please don’t veer off into “which was better?” for other culture-related things or you’ll mess up my whole plan. :-)

P.S. I miss Inspector Gamache!

For those who are new to Medium Cool, these are not open threads.

Medium Cool – Which Was Better? – The Movie or the Book?Post + Comments (238)

Open Thread: New Oval Office Occupant Egg Dish – the Last-Minute Scramble

by Anne Laurie| March 23, 20255:19 pm| 86 Comments

This post is in: Grifters Gonna Grift, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Trump-Musk

#ProudBlue
My grandsons got to participate in the Egg Roll when President Obama was in office
They enjoyed this event so much and I’m so glad they will always have the memories of participating when it was an amazing event for Children not Corporate Donors.
www.cnn.com/2025/03/23/p…

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— cathyfl7 (@cathyfl7.bsky.social) March 23, 2025 at 4:20 PM

A Harbinger, indeed. Per CNN, “‘This is not your grandmother’s Easter Egg Roll’: White House seeks corporate sponsorships for Easter event”:

The White House, through an outside event production company called Harbinger, is soliciting corporate sponsors for this year’s Easter Egg Roll, which is prompting major concerns from ethics experts and shock from former White House officials from both parties.

The sponsorship offers range from $75,000 to $200,000, with the promise of logo and branding opportunities, according to a nine-page document sent to potential sponsors and obtained by CNN.

The Egg Roll, which began during the Rutherford B. Hayes administration in 1878, has long been privately funded without taxpayer dollars, largely through the American Egg Board, which also provides tens of thousands of eggs for the occasion. And all money raised by Harbinger will go to the White House Historical Association.

“This is an enterprise. This is not your grandmother’s Easter Egg Roll where people lined up outside the gate and go and roll an egg and get a little gift bag and walk out,” said a former official involved in planning the event, which has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years.

The pitch document laying out sponsorship opportunities includes logos for both the White House and Harbinger, which previously produced the event during President Donald Trump’s first term and is offering “initial planning” and “event day execution” for sponsors that sign on. It features imagery of Trump, first lady Melania Trump, members of the Trump family, the Easter Bunny, and the White House press corps, including CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins…

Among the offerings for prospective sponsors: “Naming rights for key areas or elements,” “Sponsor logos featured on event signage,” “Custom-branded baskets, snacks/beverages, or souvenirs,” “Mentions in official event communications and social media posts,” “Acknowledgment in printed or digital event programs,” and “Inclusion in press releases and media interviews.” Sponsors can also gain access to an “invite-only brunch hosted inside the White House by FLOTUS,” tickets to the event, and a private White House tour.

Upon viewing the pitch document, Richard Painter, who served in the White House Counsel’s Office under President George W. Bush, told CNN that it “wouldn’t have gotten through Counsel’s Office.”

“That would have been vetoed in about 30 seconds in my day,” he said. “We’re not running this like a football stadium where you get all logos all over the place for kicking in money.” …

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War for Ukraine Day 1,122: The “Special” Envoy Speaks & Putin’s Voice Is Heard

by Adam L Silverman| March 22, 202510:42 pm| 26 Comments

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

“Special” Envoy Steve Witkoff went on the most current iteration of Tucker Carlson’s White Power Hour of Glower White Power Hour, which is on the app named for Elon Musk’s four year old human shield. He opened his mouth and Putin’s voice was heard.

Witkoff saying that the overwhelming majority in the four Ukrainian regions (Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk) voted to be part of Russia is preposterous. The 2022 referendums were sham. The majority in Zaporizhzhia live in areas under Ukrainian rule where there was no referendum at all.

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— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:39 AM

Carlson’s line that Russia won’t invade Europe because it’s “dying economically” reflects a bizarre MAGA idea of Europe. Though Europe’s economy is 12 times bigger than Russia’s, much of MAGA imagines Europe as an apocalyptic wasteland with no industry and inhabited mostly by migrant criminals.

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— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 3:19 AM

No one who has watched his devolution over the past decade should expect Carlson to strive for accuracy. However, we should not only expect it, but demand it of senior officials who have been granted clearance for and access to the best possible intelligence and information on a topic. That does not seem to be the case with Witkoff who is just regurgitating Russian agitprop. This happens, as I’ve explained here countless times before, because the Russians spent years prior to even the initial 2014 invasion setting the informational theater in their favor. By doing this they have been able to frame the conflict in their favor. As I’ve recounted before, in JAN 2014, the evening of the second TUES, I was in the Chief of Operations office at US Army Europe HQ. I was there as the Senior Advisor/Cultural Advisor to the Commander. At that point I was on loan from doing the same thing for the 49th Commandant of USAWC. Eventually I’d be directly assigned. While the Chief of Ops and I were finishing up, the Old Man came in trailed by the Deputy Commander (DCG), the XO, the COS, a couple of other members of the senior staff, & a couple of senior folks from the Interagency who were there for a working group that week. As the Chief of Ops and I looked up, the Boss apologized for interrupting, told us he wanted us to look at something that had just come in from the Senior Defense Official (SDO) at Embassy Moscow, and then he got on the phone as we started to read. Once we finished reading he convened an operational planning team (OPT) meeting to discuss what we’d just read. One thing that became clear to me in that meeting was the entire discussion was within Russia’s framing. Because that framing had become the default in the information environment so we had all been absorbing it unwittingly. I immediately tasked myself to prepare a strategic assessment regarding the implications of what the SDO had sent across & to do it in a way that was free of Russia’s framing so we could plan based on reality rather than on what Russia had worked so hard to reframe reality in their favor.

With the exception of one paragraph, that assessment from the late winter/early spring of 2014 holds up really well. What the “Special” Envoy is parroting here is Russia’s framing of the conflict. Which, in reality, is a genocidal re-invasion.

A must-read, which reveals the essence of Russian imperialism today— arrogant denial and genocidal ambition about Ukraine as Ukrainians define it, condescension and belief that more of Europe will be dominated by Ru, rejection of international order and political freedom…

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— Maria Popova 🇨🇦 (@popovaprof.bsky.social) March 21, 2025 at 8:31 AM

From L’Express:

Never since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has he given a political interview. Nor has he made the slightest public comment on this war that is ravaging the heart of Europe. Vladislav Sourkov, arguably Russia’s most mysterious figure, has remained silent. Yet the man who ‘made’ Vladimir Putin, the shadowy adviser who inspired novelist Giuliano da Empoli to write The Wizard of the Kremlin, has a lot to say about Russia and the man who runs it. It took us some time to approach him – and convince him. This politician, who can be considered the ‘architect’ of the Russian political system, has distanced himself from the man he served for two decades, Vladimir Putin. No one knows what Sourkov is doing today. In the interview he gave us, he avoided the question.

Why interview Vladislav Sourkov, who represents the exact antithesis of our democratic ideal ? Was it necessary to devote a cover of L’Express to a man who considers Ukraine to be an “artificial political entity” that can only be taken over “by force”, as he declared in an interview with the Russian Telegram channel WarGonzo a few months before the start of the war ? Yes, precisely. Giving the floor to the wizard of the Kremlin means, in a way, getting inside Vladimir Putin’s head. Although he is no longer in power, Sourkov has no less mastered all the workings of Putinism. And that is how this interview should be understood: a rare document that shows us how Russian power, at a time of high international tension, pursues its agenda and thinks long term, a far cry from the erratic Donald Trump.

The negotiations in Riyadh on 18 February got off to a good start for the Russians. What outcome could be considered a victory for Moscow ?

The military or military and diplomatic crushing of Ukraine. The division of this artificial quasi-state into its natural fragments. There may be manoeuvres, slowdowns and pauses along the way. But this objective will be achieved.

Have Russia’s objectives in Ukraine changed since 24 February 2022 ?

Its strategic objectives have not changed, but its tactical objectives have adapted as the strategy has been implemented.

You said : “For Russia, permanent expansion is not just another idea, it is the existential condition of our historical existence”. What do you see as Russia’s borders ?

I built an official ideology based on the concept of the ‘Russian world’, which already existed in philosophical circles. The Russian world has no borders. The Russian world is everywhere there is Russian influence, in one form or another: cultural, informational, military, economic, ideological or humanitarian… In other words, it is everywhere. The extent of our influence varies greatly from region to region, but it is never zero. So we will spread out in all directions, as far as God wills and as strong as we are. The important thing is not to get carried away and not to take on too big a piece.

This interpretation leaves little room for people’s subjectivity. What if they don’t want to be part of this “Russian world” ? Can people be forcibly associated with it ? And above all, why ?

I do not see in my previous answer the shadow of a denial of the subjectivity of peoples. It is Europe that has ignored the subjectivity of the Ukrainian people by supporting two coups d’état in Kiev. In 2014, for example, more than half of Ukrainians spoke Russian on a daily basis, both at work and at home. Less than half of them supported integration into the European Union, and even fewer wanted to join NATO. Against the will of the Ukrainian people, or in any case against the will of the majority of them, the West is trying to force Ukraine into submission, without anyone really understanding why. Even as we speak, European weapons, some of them French, are being used against my country to support the puppet regime in Kiev, which is based not on the majority of the Ukrainian people but on its anti-Russian and pro-Western minority. This is a continuation of Western attempts to colonise Ukraine by force.

Don’t you think that the war against Russia has, on the contrary, forged a Ukrainian nation and an ‘anti-Russian’ identity, including among Russian-speaking Ukrainians ? In other words, hasn’t Russia created what it denied existed ?

Ukraine is an artificial political entity into which at least three very different regions have been forced : the South and East, Russian; the Centre, Russian-non-Russian (sic) ; and the West, anti-Russian. They couldn’t get along and never have. The war in Ukraine will separate the Russians and the anti-Russians or, to paraphrase the Gospel, the sheep and the goats. The anti-Russians will not grow up. But it will be confined to its historical territory and will stop spreading across Russian soil. Perhaps one day Ukraine will be a real state, but only within its natural borders, and therefore much smaller.

Much more at the link if you can stomach it.

There are no videos from President Zelenskyy today as he made a battlefield circulation to the front in Donetsk to meet with troops, give awards, and meet with his commanders.

🇺🇦 Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Donetsk region.
Near the famous stele, which has already become a memorial, he thanked everyone who defends Ukraine.
“I thank all our defenders. I honor all the fallen heroes. I thank everyone who helps Ukraine and supports us.”

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 8:08 AM

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy visited the frontline troops in the Pokrovsk sector. The commander of the“Madyar’s birds“, Robert Brovdi, was also present.

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— (((Tendar))) (@tendar.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 8:51 AM

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Georgia:

March in Support of the MEGOBARI Act in Tbilisi

#GeorgiaProtests
Day 105

📷 Nini Kikvadze

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:14 PM

Daily protests continue in the small town of Chkhorotsku, Georgia.

📷 Oto Shengelia

#GeorgiaProtests
Day 115

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 4:07 PM

POV: the MEGOBARI Act march arrives at Rustaveli with 🇬🇪🇺🇸 anthems. #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 1:59 PM

.@RepJoeWilson and @SenatorRisch @SenateForeign are very much loved in Georgia and protected by the people when the regime lashes out at them. #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 1:59 PM

I also spotted @SenatorShaheen – another beloved figure! ✊🏻🇬🇪🇺🇸

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:01 PM

Supporters of the American MEGOBARI Act are gathering at Marjanishvili Square in Tbilisi and will march toward Rustaveli Avenue, where they will join the main site of the protest.

Nino Kikvadze/Publika

#GeorgiaProtests
Day 115

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 12:34 PM

The march of the supporters of the MEGOBARI Act has started.

#GeorgiaProtests

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 12:56 PM

We don’t forget Ukraine at any single protest. Ever. ✊🏻🇬🇪🇺🇦 #GeorgiaProtests #StandWithUkraine

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:05 PM

The MEGOBARI Act march in Tbilisi. #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:41 PM

📷 Anzor Amzoevi

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:41 PM

March in support of the MEGOBARI Act in Tbilisi. #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 6:26 PM

Here are the details on the MEGOBARI Act:

Washington, DC – U.S. Helsinki Chairman Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC), Ranking Member Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN), Congressman Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Congressman Marc Veasey (D-TX) re-introduced the bipartisan Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence (MEGOBARI) Act. This vital legislation aims to bolster democratic practices, human rights, and the rule of law in the Republic of Georgia, reaffirming the United States’ commitment to supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration and countering the influence of authoritarian regimes, particularly Russia.

“In the Georgian language, ‘megobari’ means ‘friend,’ and this bill reflects the powerful friendship and partnership between the United States and the Georgian people,” said Chairman Wilson. “The Ivanishvili regime seeks to undermine Georgian freedom. I stand with the Georgian people and the legitimate President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili in their call for free and fair elections. This bill provides Georgian Dream officials with a choice to abandon the would-be dictator Ivanishvili or face sanctions. There is still time to save Georgia’s sovereignty!”

“Corrupt Ivanishvili and his Georgian Nightmare party are turning Georgia into a Russian colony. Regime thugs are cracking down and imprisoning protestors, who demand free and fair elections as independent observers call the late October elections fundamentally flawed. The Georgian people demand a return to a transatlantic path and we need to help them. The MEGOBARI Act provides that help, mandating sanctions on Putin’s pawns and promising a deepened relationship should Georgian democracy and sovereignty be restored,” said Ranking Member Cohen.

“Vladimir Putin is an evil dictator who will do whatever it takes to undermine democracy in Georgia, and there must be consequences,” said Congressman Hudson. “This bill reinforces the United States’ support of the Georgian people’s democratic aspirations and makes clear that we will not tolerate attacks on their freedom.”

“The United States and Congress stand firmly with the people of Georgia. Our friendship with Georgia is at a critical juncture, and its people are bravely fighting for their freedom,” said Congressman Veasey. “The MEGOBARI Act is more crucial now than ever—an essential act of support to help our allies in Georgia secure their future and protect their freedoms.”

The MEGOBARI Act:

Mandates a comprehensive sanctions review of all Georgian Dream officials. Those found to have engaged in corruption or undermining Georgian sovereignty will be sanctioned.

Provides for a certification mechanism that mandates a deeper relationship between the United States and Georgia once Georgia’s democracy and sovereignty have been restored.

Requires a full report of Russian and CCP intelligence assets in Georgia and Russian-CCP cooperation to undermine Georgian democracy and sovereignty.

The Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence (MEGOBARI) Act is the premier U.S. initiative to counter the Ivanishvili Regime’s attempt to drag Georgia toward the Iranian regime, the Chinese Communist Party, and Russia. The bill is fully negotiated between House and Senate, Democrat and Republican leaders and is expected to move quickly. MEGOBARI means “friend” in Georgian.

The October elections that led to a shocking victory for Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party have been declared by international observers as fundamentally flawed. This illegitimate parliament installed an illegitimate puppet president. The legitimate President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, is leading and supporting mass protests calling for free and fair elections. This bill ensures the United States stands strongly with the Georgian people in their decades-long drive for freedom and sovereignty.

See the bill here.

Student Luka Gogia was arrested by the police after applauding them for arresting two female students, who, in turn, wanted to bring chairs to sit in front of the parliament building.

#TerrorinGeorgia

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 3:35 AM

For contrast:
1st 📷: Georgians, demanding protection from Ivanishvili’s authoritarianism from their ally, #America.

2nd 📷: Ivanishvili’s PM Kobakhidze standing next to Hamas’ leader at the inauguration of Iran’s new president, where chants of “Death to America” were heard.

By Protest 24.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 3:32 PM

ABSOLUTELY.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:56 PM

1/ Salome Zourabischvili writes: “New wave of arrests reaching new heights in absurdity: student girls detained for bringing chairs to the protests, while another student is arrested just for applauding! Kafka in Tbilissi!”

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:48 AM

2/ On March 21, three students were detained in front of the parliament building. 2 of the detainees, Tatia Afriamashvili and Tamar Gvilia, are students at the “Georgian National University”, while the third, Luka Gogia, is a student at Ilia State University.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:48 AM

3/ The students were carrying plastic folding chairs to the parliament, but the police did not allow them to set them up. A circulating video shows Luka Gogia standing on the sidewalk and clapping for the police after the girls were detained. He was then detained as well.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:48 AM

4/ Afriamashvili and Gvilia were released on bail, while Gogia remains in custody.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:48 AM

Any people can find themselves under tyranny. The key is to not have some illusions of impossibility.

Georgians had that illusion – that no one could digress from our European aspirations.

Someday I’ll write “The Kremlin’s most successful operation.” Hopefully with a happy end.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 1:33 PM

The US:

“Last night was quite tense for both sides, as you probably noticed. But I think we’ll wrap this up fairly soon,” Trump said. He confirmed no deadline was given to Putin to stop strikes on Ukraine. Putin didn’t reject halting attacks, and Russia’s already under a mountain of sanctions, he noted.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 6:06 AM

This is a primer in how not to do diplomacy.

Back to Ukraine.

Ukrainian fighters spotted a 122-mm D-30 howitzer of the Russian boys and destroyed its ammo with precise strikes. The howitzer survived, but it’s sporting some fresh holes now.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:52 PM

Kyiv:

Kyiv right now! Russia attacks the city with drones

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 7:38 PM

Kyiv right now! Russia attacks the city with drones

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 7:37 PM

Zaporizhzhia:

This is Olha and Roman, along with their daughter Ulyana-Khrystyna. Russia murdered them last night, leaving their younger daughter, Victoria, orphaned.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 11:49 AM

Donetsk Oblast:

Optic fiber FPV drones of the Magyar unit destroy Russian MR-LB, BM-21 Grad MLRS and SPG. t.me/robert_magya…

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 2:38 PM

Toretsk Oblast:

Reports say a Russian position in central Toretsk was obliterated by a 2S7 Pion, directed by the 100th OMB. Enemy suicide squads with ammo falter as Ukrainian artillery dismantles their efforts.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 9:34 AM

Somewhere in Russia:

Russian Su-34 made an emergency belly landing after its landing gear failed to deploy. The crew jettisoned the navigator’s canopy mid-flight for a potential escape.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 9:19 AM

Krasnodar Krai, Russia:

The “Kavkazskaya” oil transshipment point in Krasnodar Krai burns into its fourth day after the drones strike. Once a critical hub for 6M tons of annual oil exports, it’s now just charred rubble and ash.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 10:59 AM

That’s enough for tonight.

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material.

Your daily Patron!

🇺🇦🐶 Our charismatic defenders on the battle station.

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) March 22, 2025 at 3:17 PM

War for Ukraine Day 1,122: The “Special” Envoy Speaks & Putin’s Voice Is HeardPost + Comments (26)

Saturday Night Dark Arts Open Thread: ‘Reimagining’ the Kennedy Center

by Anne Laurie| March 22, 20258:35 pm| 69 Comments

This post is in: Grifters Gonna Grift, Open Threads, Popular Culture, Trumpery, Elon Musk

(Ann Telnaes / Open Window)

is the "incredibly powerful aura" a symptom of the dementia pic.twitter.com/JK3mJOb9gZ

— Fentanyl Tsar ?????? (@canderaid) March 22, 2025

Per the mealy-mouthed NYTimes, “Elvis, ‘Cats’ and Babe Ruth: Chairman Trump Reimagines the Kennedy Center” [gift link]:

… He mused about how great it could be if he hosted the Kennedy Center Honors (“The king of ratings,” he called himself). And he floated the idea of giving awards to dead figures in culture and sports, including Luciano Pavarotti, Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth.

Monday was President Trump’s first visit to the Kennedy Center since he took it over last month by replacing all the Biden appointees on the board of the once bipartisan institution and having himself elected chairman.

As he gathered members of the new board on the stage of its opera house he expressed strong and sometimes surprising opinions on a variety of matters, according to an audio recording of his private remarks obtained by The New York Times, which was confirmed as authentic by a participant.

Asked about the recording, a Kennedy Center official pointed to a social media post by its new president, Richard Grenell, which said that Mr. Trump wants to save the center and “ensure it is the premier Arts institution in the United States” and a place where “EVERYONE is welcome.”…

Mr. Trump, who as a young man dreamed of becoming a theater producer, told the board that he had been informed that Broadway shows sell the best at the Kennedy Center, and pledged to present many of them. And he waxed poetic about his love of Broadway shows of a certain vintage, especially Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats.”…

After a board member asked if there were any new musicals that were not “totally woke,” somebody replied that, in a break with the past, the center would be doing some shows not affiliated with Actors’ Equity, the union representing actors. The person said that the change “opens us up for a whole bunch of more options as well as a lot more money.”

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He wants to remake the Kennedy Center Honors, which he said celebrated “radical left lunatics.”

Mr. Trump has been preoccupied with the Kennedy Center Honors, the annual awards ceremony, since his first term, after several artists being honored criticized him. In response, the president boycotted the ceremony, breaking with tradition…

Kennedy Center Honors have traditionally been bestowed on artists. But Mr. Trump suggested they might also look to the world of sports, politics and business, naming the casino mogul Steve Wynn, a major Republican donor, as a potential recipient. (Mr. Trump appointed Mr. Wynn’s wife, Andrea, to the Kennedy Center’s board.)

“You could do entrepreneurs, you could do people that, you know, that were really in charge of show business,” he said. “I would say you could do politicians, you could do sports stars.”…

[For the right kickback, of course. ]

Mr. Trump, drawing on his experience in television, took aim at the Honors show, a star-studded event that is broadcast each year on CBS. “I didn’t like it,” he said. “I couldn’t watch it. And the host was always terrible.” (Queen Latifah was the host last year.)

Then he offered an idea for who might host the show: himself.

“Believe me, I don’t want to do it, I don’t want to do it,” he said…

Mr. Trump praised the new Kennedy Center board, which is packed with more than 30 of his allies, including several donors to his campaign. (He joked, however, that some members “didn’t give me anything; they probably won’t be here too long.”)…

Shame about the arts, but we honestly should probably encourage our mad king to worry about the arts and what's on at the Kennedy center and not *waves hands at everything.* He'd be happier. We'd be happier. Win win.

— Schnorkles O'Bork (@schnorkles.bsky.social) March 19, 2025 at 11:37 PM

As the MAGAts say: Good enuf fer gubmint werk!

Fool really thinks that’s the real one ?? https://t.co/qZx2cX6Si5

— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) March 20, 2025

Saturday Night Dark Arts Open Thread: ‘Reimagining’ the Kennedy CenterPost + Comments (69)

Setting the Shredded Welcome Mat on Fire

by Rose Judson| March 22, 20253:01 pm| 166 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Open Threads, The Horrors

Some follow up on my post from last week about the tourists and business travellers detained by ICE. First, Rebecca Burke, the British cartoonist who was detained for three weeks when a border patrol agent found out she was doing chores for people in exchange for lodging has been repatriated. Next, Jasmine Mooney, the Canadian woman held for two weeks in multiple locations, is also home. Ms. Mooney has written a column for the Guardian detailing her experience. Her account is worth reading. Obviously, there are harrowing details about the detention, like this:

Our next stop was Arizona, the San Luis Regional Detention Center. The transfer process lasted 24 hours, a sleepless, grueling ordeal. This time, men were transported with us. Roughly 50 of us were crammed into a prison bus for the next five hours, packed together – women in the front, men in the back. We were bound in chains that wrapped tightly around our waists, with our cuffed hands secured to our bodies and shackles restraining our feet, forcing every movement into a slow, clinking struggle.

When we arrived at our next destination, we were forced to go through the entire intake process all over again, with medical exams, fingerprinting – and pregnancy tests; they lined us up in a filthy cell, squatting over a communal toilet, holding Dixie cups of urine while the nurse dropped pregnancy tests in each of our cups. It was disgusting.

But what is really remarkable is how Mooney keeps reiterating and illustrating her concern for people being held by ICE who aren’t as lucky as she was, and how she puts a finger directly on the throbbing pustule that is the privatised prison system:

ICE detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.

Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain, which is why they lobby for stricter immigration policies. It’s a lucrative business: CoreCivic made over $560m from ICE contracts in a single year. In 2024, GEO Group made more than $763m from ICE contracts.

The more detainees, the more money they make. It stands to reason that these companies have no incentive to release people quickly. What I had experienced was finally starting to make sense.

This is not just my story. It is the story of thousands and thousands of people still trapped in a system that profits from their suffering. I am writing in the hope that someone out there – someone with the power to change any of this – can help do something.

There is also a new concern: CBP appears to be searching at least some people’s phones.

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There were numerous reports earlier this week about a French scientist traveling to a conference in Houston. He was pulled aside for extra security screening and then denied entry. Allegedly, the issue was that the scientist had sent messages critical of the Trump administration’s action toward scientists and universities—allegations apparently credible enough that a French government minister discussed them with the press. The US refutes that, and claims this scientist was denied entry because he had “classified information” from a US lab on his phone. But if that was the case, why not arrest him?

These issues are a much bigger story on this side of the water than they seem to have been on the US side, not least because the UK and Germany have both issued new travel warnings for citizens headed to the US. Here is the relevant new wording from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO):

You should comply with all entry, visa and other conditions of entry. The authorities in the US set and enforce entry rules strictly. You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules.

There is also this further down the page, which, yikes:

The US authorities can stop you entering the country if they have safeguarding concerns about a child. If this happens, the US authorities will take the child into their care, and their return from the US could take months. The FCDO cannot speed up the return of British nationals aged 17 and under from the US.

Obviously, this is all bad for US tourism businesses—one industry research firm revised its 2025 outlook from 8.8% growth in foreign tourism to a 5.5% decline, and warned that those numbers were likely to be revised downward again, as they only take into account data through February. I’m aware of at least three people who have cancelled planned, booked travel to the US because of this news. It’s getting to the point where some of them are concerned for me. British folks have always asked me if I feel safe traveling to the US, because of the gun situation, but now when they ask it has a dark new shade of meaning. They know I don’t like the president.

I just tell them I haven’t booked my summer travel yet. Which is true.

Open thread, but I’m interested to hear from commenters if this is a live issue in their circles—I’m sure it is for other expats or for people who work with lots of international colleagues in business or academia.

Setting the Shredded Welcome Mat on FirePost + Comments (166)

Sad News to Share about commenter evap

by WaterGirl| March 22, 20251:21 pm| 80 Comments

This post is in: Absent Friends, Open Threads

I am sad to say that we have lost another member of our Balloon Juice community.

Her husband, Colm, wrote to let me know that we have lost evap. She died in February, one year after being diagnosed. My hat is off to her. She was so brave as she faced what she called “this fucking disease”.

Like all the beloved BJ peeps we have lost, evap was smart and interesting and kind. She was also quite accomplished, beloved, and successful in her life out in the world, as you’ll see if you click any of the links below.

evap had written to us in August to let us know that she had been diagnosed with ALS.

This is Vicki, evap on balloon juice.   I have been contributing monthly for quite a while and I just canceled that and will be making a larger one time donation to the blog.  In February, I was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).  It’s a horrible disease with no treatment or cure and my disease is progressing quite rapidly. I’m hoping to stay alive Long enough to vote for Harris.   Luckily, I have a wonderful family who are taking good care of me.

I just wanted to say how much balloon juice has meant to me over the years.  I think I started reading in 2004 and I check in every day although I don’t post much. I would not have survived the 2016 election without you guys.

I don’t want to out myself on the blog, but I would be curious to know if anyone reading it has any experience with ALS. If you could think of way to ask that question I would be curious to see what people say. But no big deal if you don’t want to do that.

Thanks for everything you do to keep people sane, for targeted fundraising,  and for the animals.

So I put up this post, and many of you responded with helpful information, which she very much appreciated.

Balloon Juice Hive Mind Needed

Meet evap, aka Vicki Powers.

evap was clearly a light in the world, not just here with us.

The Loss of a Dear Friend and Colleague, Vicki Powers

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Obituary

Comments for the family may be left here.

*****

If you like, you can make a donation in evap’s name, to these charities of her choice:

Doctors Without Borders

World Central Kitchen

With love to evap, WaterGirl

Sad News to Share about commenter evapPost + Comments (80)

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

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

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

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

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

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

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

We still have time to mess this up!

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

We are learning that “working class” means “white” for way too many people.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

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

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

The willow is too close to the house.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

Fucking consultants! (of the political variety)

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

War for Ukraine Day 1,123: Not the Best, Nor the Brightest

Every Night Now Brings Massive Russian Drone Attacks – Nearly a Hundred Shaheds Each Time – Address by the President

Medium Cool – Which Was Better? – The Movie or the Book?

Open Thread: New Oval Office Occupant Egg Dish – the Last-Minute Scramble

War for Ukraine Day 1,122: The “Special” Envoy Speaks & Putin’s Voice Is Heard

Saturday Night Dark Arts Open Thread: ‘Reimagining’ the Kennedy Center

Setting the Shredded Welcome Mat on Fire

Sad News to Share about commenter evap

The Loss of a Dear Friend and Colleague, Vicki Powers

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Obituary