Balloon Juice - Open Threads Archives

Interesting Read(s): You Are The Media Now

by Anne Laurie| November 16, 20247:16 pm| 253 Comments

This post is in: Elections 2024, Excellent Links, Media

This is 1000x more important than quibbling over what wording or messaging was or was/not effective. The biggest issue by far is the information environment. Where people are getting their news decided what breaks through. No amount of 'saying the magic words' changes that. https://t.co/q8pEGszShA

— Centrism Fan Acct ?? (@Wilson__Valdez) November 10, 2024

Charlie Warzel, at the Atlantic, wrote this a whole week ago, which already feels like forever. “Bad News: Legacy media must compete against a choose-your-own-adventure reality.”:

“You are the media now.” That’s the message that began to cohere among right-wing influencers shortly after Donald Trump won the election this week. Elon Musk first posted the phrase, and others followed. “The legacy media is dead. Hollywood is done. Truth telling is in. No more complaining about the media,” the right-wing activist James O’Keefe posted shortly after. “You are the media.”…

A defining quality of this election cycle has been that few people seem to be able to agree on who constitutes “the media,” what their role ought to be, or even how much influence they have in 2024. Based on Trump’s and Kamala Harris’s appearances on various shows—and especially Trump’s and J. D. Vance’s late-race interviews with Joe Rogan, which culminated in the popular host’s endorsement—some have argued that this was the “podcast election.” But there’s broad confusion over what actually moves the needle. Is the press the bulwark against fascism, or is it ignored by a meaningful percentage of the country? It is certainly beleaguered by a conservative effort to undermine media institutions, with Trump as its champion and the fracturing caused by algorithmic social media. It can feel existential at times competing for attention and reckoning with the truth that many Americans don’t read, trust, or really care all that much about what papers, magazines, or cable news have to say.

All of this contributes to a well-documented, slow-moving crisis of legacy media—a cocktail whose ingredients also include declining trust, bad economics, political pressure, vulture capitalists, the rise of the internet, and no shortage of coverage decisions from mainstream institutions that have alienated or infuriated some portion of their audiences. Each and every one of these things affected how Americans experienced this election, though it is impossible to say what the impact is in aggregate. If “you are the media,” then there is no longer a consensus reality informed by what audiences see and hear: Everyone chooses their own adventure…

I’ve watched for the past year with grim fascination as both the media industry and its audience have sparred and tried to come to some shared understanding of what the hell is going on. The internet destroyed monoculture years ago, but as I wrote last December, it’s recently felt harder to know what anyone else is doing, seeing, or hearing online anymore.

News sites everywhere have seen traffic plummet in the past two years. That’s partly the fault of technology companies and their algorithmic changes, which have made people less likely to see or click on articles when using products like Google Search or Facebook. But research suggests that isn’t the entire story: Audiences are breaking up with news, too. An influencer economy has emerged on social-media platforms. It’s not an ecosystem that produces tons of original reporting, but it feels authentic to its audience…

Independent online creators aren’t encumbered by any of this hand-wringing over objectivity or standards: They are concerned with publishing as much as they can, in order to cultivate audiences and build relationships with them. For them, posting is a volume game. It’s also about working ideas out in public. Creators post and figure it out later; if they make mistakes, they post through it. Eventually people forget. When I covered the rise of the less professionalized pro-Trump media in 2016, what felt notable to me was its allergy to editing. These people livestreamed and published unpolished three-hour podcasts. It’s easier to build a relationship with people when you’re in their ears 15 hours a week: Letting it all hang out can feel more authentic, like you have nothing to hide.

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Critics can debate whether this kind of content is capital-J Journalism until the heat death of the universe, but the undeniable truth is that people, glued to their devices, like to consume information when it’s informally presented via parasocial relationships with influencers. They enjoy frenetic, algorithmically curated short-form video, streaming and long-form audio, and the feeling that only a slight gap separates creator and consumer. Major media outlets are trying to respond to this shift: The Times’ online front page, for example, has started to feature reporters in what amounts to prestige TikToks.

Yet the influencer model is also deeply exploitable. One of the most aggressive attempts to interfere in this election didn’t come directly from operators in Russia, but rather from a legion of useful idiots in the United States. Russia simply used far-right influencers to do their bidding with the large audiences they’d already acquired…

“You are the media now” is powerful because it capitalizes on the reality that it is difficult to know where genuine influence comes from these days. The phrase sounds empowering. Musk’s acolytes see it as the end of traditional-media gatekeeping. But what he’s really selling is the notion that people are on their own—that facts are malleable, and that what feels true ought to be true.

A world governed by the phrase do your own research is also a world where the Trumps and Musks can operate with impunity. Is it the news media’s job to counter this movement—its lies, its hate? Is it also their job to appeal to some of the types of people who listen to Joe Rogan? I’d argue that it is. But there’s little evidence right now that it stands much of a chance.

***********

Even if it’s Politico, the article linked in the top tweet is also… interesting. Per Steven Waldman, “president of Rebuild Local News, which advances public policy to strengthen local news, and co-founder of Report for America”:

… These studies reveal an interesting fault line. While most women get their news from TikTok, most young men get their news from YouTube, Twitter and Reddit, Pew found. This confirms that men and women often act on different sources of information. Yet while we spill many words analyzing whether New York Times headlines normalize bad behavior, we know very little about what news and information rises to the top on Reddit and YouTube.

Trump supporters will argue that this re-sorting of media consumption was a positive development, allowing people to get information unfiltered by the (biased) elite media. Indeed, Elon Musk declared that with this election, “Legacy media is dead. Long live citizen journalism!”

But there is much evidence that information on social media is more likely to include misinformation and provide news that reinforces preexisting beliefs than traditional mainstream media. And in 2020, studies showed that people who relied on social media for news were less knowledgeable. We’ll see if that remains true in 2024. At a minimum, we need to better understand the dynamics.

One meta-cause of the change is obvious: the rise of social media. The other is more indirect but still significant: the collapse of local news. We’ve lost one-third of our local newspapers; the number of reporters has dropped 60 percent in two decades. Studies have shown that the contraction of local news has created a vacuum — which has been filled by partisan news sources and social media (both polarizing and more likely to spread misinformation).

I’m certainly not arguing that issues like inflation or immigration were not important factors, or that if people just had different information they might have voted differently. But if we want to grasp the meaning of this election, we can’t ignore one of the biggest forces that shaped the electorate — or how the collapse of local news has changed the political equation.

Interesting Read(s): <em>You Are The Media Now</em>Post + Comments (253)

Onion Update

by @heymistermix.com| November 16, 20245:45 pm| 59 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Onion Update

This is a great summary of how the bankruptcy judge handled the bid by The Onion combined with the Sandy Hook parents. The bid was out of the bounds of normal bankruptcy practice, and the judge wanted a hearing to make sure that he understood everything. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m hopeful that the parents will get a small measure of peace from this long delayed legal action, emphasis on “small”.

Onion UpdatePost + Comments (59)

(Bipartisanship) Lovers in a Dangerous Time

by @heymistermix.com| November 16, 202410:49 am| 177 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

The aching desire for business as usual is strong in our institutionalists:

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Well, great to be with you, Jake. Since the election we’ve made clear that we will work to find bipartisan common ground with the incoming administration on any issue whenever and wherever possible in order to make life better for the American people, but, of course, we will push back against far-right extremism whenever necessary. […]
TAPPER: Do you think the House Ethics Committee should report — should release the report on Gaetz even though he’s no longer a member of Congress, so it’s no longer his — their jurisdiction I suppose?

JEFFRIES: Well, the House Ethics Committee has traditionally operated in a bipartisan fashion. You know, I have great amount of trust and respect in the top Democrat on that committee, Representative Susan Wild. I haven’t had an opportunity to have a conversation with her about what’s possible.

Certainly, full transparency is always the preferred approach, but the House Ethics Committee has always operated in a straightforward fashion, not as part of a command and control structure connected to leadership from either the House Republican side or the House Democratic side, and I’m just hopeful that consistent with that background, with that history with the integrity of what the House Ethics Committee should represent, that it chooses to do the right thing, consistent with House rules and with the law.

That’s the way to put the milque in the toast. It’s notably weak from the man who’s potentially one election away from the third most powerful post in our government. Most importantly, it’s a lie. He seems like an intelligent guy, and any intelligent person who’s looked at the workings of the House for the last few decades knows that there’s no appetite for bipartisanship with the current crop of Republicans. They just don’t want it, nor does Jeffries’ caucus, nor does, probably, Jeffries.

What is the downside of Jeffries’ being at least a little bit honest in this moment? Would it hurt for him to say something to even slightly acknowledge the danger to the rule of law and public health posed by Trump’s latest appointments? Something like, “Serious allegations of illegal actions have been raised against Rep. Gaetz, and the nomination process for the chief law enforcement officer of the land should have all the facts.”

He can’t even get the tip of his pinky dirty because he’s so focused on protecting institutional norms (bipartisan independence of the Ethics Committee) that only Democrats follow. His counterpart, Rev. Speaker Johnson, has already called for the ethics report to be suppressed, and the committee is dutifully delaying votes.

The link above, and this link, go to Steve M’s detailed discussion of Hakeem Jeffries reaction to the nomination of Gaetz and RFK the lesser, for more context, and Steve M is on target here:

In this segment, Jeffries does the two terrible things Democrats invariably do when they get TV time: He embraces a bipartisan approach to governing that Republicans have rejected since the Newt Gingrich era thirty years ago, and he talks to the public as if all of his listeners read three print newspapers a day cover to cover and already know all the relevant facts. It’s a terrible approach to public communication.

I’ll add: if you’re going on TV, you should know that highlights are going to be clipped and spread on social media. Try not to generate demoralizing business-as-usual clips less than two weeks after a losing election. Get a little angry. Read this piece on RFK Jr a couple of times in the green room if you need some ammo. Read what Megan McCain’s husband wrote about Gaetz and what a filthy sex pest piece of shit he is. Do what it takes to appear that you care about the potential grave harm that’s coming down the pike for your constituents. Jesus, does it have to be so hard?

(Bipartisanship) Lovers in a Dangerous TimePost + Comments (177)

Saturday Morning Open Thread: November Projects

by Anne Laurie| November 16, 20248:47 am| 154 Comments

This post is in: Elections 2024, Excellent Links, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Sports

We have 50 days left to do everything we can on behalf of the American people.

This is our final window to confirm independent judges who will make decisions based on the law – not for special interests.

Senate Democrats cannot leave a single judge behind. pic.twitter.com/xgxLtVTfQD

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) November 14, 2024

******

The November Project gets people outside to exercise and socialize together all winter long https://t.co/4F0otdx9ff

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

Community projects don’t necessarily have to be ‘political’, do they? (Or, for that matter, done under sub-zero conditions?

The sun had yet to come up in Edmonton, Alberta, and it was more than 20 degrees below zero. Tanis Smith layered up anyway, ready to run up and down hundreds of stairs among the trees in the Saskatchewan River Valley.

When she arrived at 6 a.m., 10 other people joined her. It wouldn’t be the last time they risked freezing their toes off to get in a workout before the rest of the world wakes up….

Since that winter of 2013, Smith has rarely missed a workout with the group, called November Project, a network of free outdoor group exercise classes that started in Boston. No matter the month or weather, participants roll out of bed before dawn at least once a week and shield their faces from the blistering cold.

One part intense training and one part abject silliness, the project is a model for how to stay motivated to exercise outside throughout the winter…

“A party is better when there’s more people around,” said Bojan Mandaric, who created the project with Brogan Graham in 2011. “We would talk to anybody who would listen.”

Soon, their meetings were attracting a few dozen people, who then brought the idea to other cities when they moved. Now there are 52 chapters in eight countries, including 44 in the United States and Canada…

******

@joshtpm.bsky.social has it right here, as usual. Don’t surrender in advance. Don’t confer to Trump a competence and ability he has never exhibited.

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— The Fig Economy (@figgityfigs.bsky.social) November 14, 2024 at 6:08 PM

“The Most Pernicious Anticipatory Obedience Hides in Plain Sight”:

… During harrowing times some people become overwhelmed and even lose hope. It’s not a one-way progress. Almost everyone has their moments. But there’s a particular kind of militant doomerism afoot at the moment. Any discussions of next steps in the battle against Trumpism or the preservation of civic democracy, any suggestions or strategies, are met with a chorus of, “don’t you get how it worked under Hitler and Stalin!!?!” Or “don’t you know rules don’t matter to Donald Trump!?!?!”

In a sense, it’s a dialog genetically related to what I called “competitive hyperbole” two days ago. Strategies for the future or even the assumption that there will be a future get shouted down as a hopeless naiveté. And at least within that stream of conversation — which I’m certainly not saying is dominant, but it is there — it leads to the same escalating declarations of dystopia and totalism.

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Is it possible that Donald Trump could push the American Republic into dictatorship or more plausibly the kind of soft autocracy or broken democracy we know today in places like Russia or Hungary or Turkey? Sure. Is it likely? I don’t know any way of putting odds to such a thing. But what I know is that it’s not easy. There’s Congress and the courts and even when they’re compliant the process is still difficult, time-consuming and hard to pull off. There’s also the double-level government of federalism, in which a great deal of the machinery of government remains in other hands. That’s more difficulty and time-consuming obstacles. And it’s the work of an opposition to make it as hard and time-consuming as possible, to make the consequences as visible as possible…

Certain people, growing out of trauma and exhaustion which I fully understand, believe there’s some power or badassery or even a species of courage in saying, “yeah, since when does Donald Trump follow the law!?!?” or “Just admit that we have no power!!!” But it’s actually precisely the opposite. That’s the most pernicious form of anticipatory obedience. Deciding that all of this stuff has already happened is not only inaccurate but self-defeating. It’s amplifying threats Trump hasn’t been able or willing to make good on. A better answer, both more effective and more dignified, is to say, “Okay, let’s see you try.” It’s not easy. There are lots of road blocks. It requires maintaining a lot of public support. It requires patience.

You may think there’s some kind of psychic or moral merit in jumping into every conversation and saying “No, it’s over! He said he was going to be a dictator! He said who he was! Believe him! Don’t be so naive!” But really that’s just rolling out a red carpet, the ultimate capitulation in advance. At the very least, put him to the task. Make him execute on what he’s trying to do. It won’t be easy and there are a lot of ways to make it even less easy. That’s the first role of a political opposition.

A lot of me wants to say this attitude is simply pathetic. But I also know that people feel beaten down, exhausted and scared. I fully understand where it comes from. And while a certain toughness, resolution and sang-froid is necessary in difficult times like these, so too is empathy, the presence and willingness to buck up those feeling tired, defeated and hopeless.

Saturday Morning Open Thread: November ProjectsPost + Comments (154)

Dank Grey Dawn Open Thread: Department of Disease Efficiency

by Anne Laurie| November 16, 20245:41 am| 128 Comments

This post is in: Elections 2024, Excellent Links, Grifters Gonna Grift, Open Threads, Trump Crime Cartel

Fully expect this one to go through, but the damage he could potentially do is immense.

It's also now high-profile enough to where it furthers the perception of Trump's second presidency as a circus, and it's unlikely that this type of term will make him *popular* with voters. https://t.co/5rKoba3UMU

— Lakshya Jain (@lxeagle17) November 14, 2024

Perhaps it is a sign of how much Trump respects his most loyal constituency, the People of Garbage, that he was willing to promote one of their avatars despite said avatar’s narcissistic competition for the limelight. (As a fellow Irish-American, let me assure the sensitive: The Kennedys are very much ‘American aristocracy’ — a clan of violent grifters with a strong streak of neurodiversity and a not-unrelated fondness for substance abuse in all its forms. And despite his extremely bigoted statements about autism, if Bobby Jr. were fifty years younger, he would have had an IEP as thick as a Potter novel and quite possibly have been diagnosed on the spectrum.)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr evokes Camelot, you know, the time of King Arthur when there was no fucking medicine.

— Frank Conniff (@frankconniff.bsky.social) November 14, 2024 at 6:48 PM

If RFK Jr. does end up in Trump’s administration — there’s still plenty of time for him to foul it up — he’ll probably be under-bused for his assaults on ‘Big Ag’ and ‘Big Grocery’ before he can do too much damage to America’s medical industry… although it would be less worrying if not for the looming H5N1 threat.

Meanwhile, Alexandra Petri remains a national treasure. From the Washington Post, “RFK Jr. to head newly formed Department of Disease Efficiency” [gift link]:

Well, President-elect Donald Trump has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the new head of the Department of Health and Human Services. “He wants to do some things and we’re going to let him go to it,” Trump said. “Go have a good time, Bobby.”

Everyone who is an HHS employee and is not the measles virus: You are on notice! We’re taking this department in a new direction! Measles, stand back and stand by. It’s about to be your time.

We’re doing our best to give the people what they want. For many years we thought what they wanted was clean drinking water, safe and tested vaccines to drive down deaths from childhood diseases, and food that is produced in sanitary conditions so the people who eat it don’t get sick. But we were wrong, and the change starts now.

Similarly, we mistakenly thought that finding a dead mouse in your frozen ravioli dinner was a shock. Now, we know better. It’s a surprise! People love surprises. People love danger! Our ancestors didn’t stare down death every time they went out to hunt and eat food that had not been subject to Food and Drug Administration inspection so we wouldn’t have to stare down death every day as we went out to buy food that has not been subject to FDA inspection. You want to consume a can of beans and live? TOUGH LUCK! THIS IS DONALD TRUMP’S AMERICA!

In light of this, and of the nomination of RFK Jr. as our leader, we at the Department of Health and Human Services are announcing a rebrand as the Department of Disease Efficiency. Given our new mandate to root out expertise wherever it might lurk and replace it with Something That Came To RFK Jr. In A Dream Once, we felt it was proper to release “Health” and “Human Services” back into the wild, where maybe RFK Jr. can hunt them down with his falcon and eat them before they have undergone an FDA inspection.

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Look, most Americans are not equipped to test food safety or vaccine safety on their own. And that’s because, unwisely, we have delegated these tasks to the FDA. It’s time we gave them back to the people. Every citizen should learn to inspect his own meat, like the Founders did. George Washington (who apparently only had one real tooth left at the end of his life) did not drink fluoridated water. Abraham Lincoln (one of whose children actually made it to adulthood!) never gave his children safe, routine childhood vaccinations. Franklin D. Roosevelt (who had polio) had polio. It’s time we went back to that…

For too long, American citizens have been complacent, having fewer and fewer children, under the misapprehension that if you like your child, you should get to keep your child. And what’s to blame for that? Safe, accessible vaccines that mean nobody gets measles. What better way to drive up birth rates (don’t interrupt me, JD Vance) than to increase the rates of childhood deaths? Also, maybe we can stop approving birth control! None of it seems safe. We’re going to get to the bottom of this, using science — or something that is just as good as science: nothing.

Every time you get to do something as simple as sit down with your healthy family and eat food from a grocery store, it is the result of a cavalcade of miracles. Each health and safety regulation that made your food safe to eat, each childhood vaccine that means you are at the table with Tiny Tim and not his Sad, Empty Chair and Abandoned Crutch, is the product of decades — no, centuries! — of painstaking effort. And these efforts came from all kinds of people: brilliant, dedicated medical minds, crusaders who were sick of finding dead mice in their lunch meat and just ordinary families who were willing to do whatever they could not to lose their loved ones. Well, we’re going to take those decades of painstaking, breathtaking achievement and treat them as RFK Jr. treats a bear carcass: dump it somewhere, for no reason, after it has been struck by a car.

Finally, we can declare victory in the long, bitter war against lifesaving human innovations like pasteurization and the polio vaccine! I don’t know why we want to declare victory in this war, but I guess it’s what we’re doing.

Que Sirhan Sirhan

RFK Jr. taking over Health and Human Services might just be the shot in the arm Donald’s cabinet needs to finish off Joe’s agenda once and for all.

by Maureen Dowd

— New York Times Pitchbot (@DougJBalloon) November 14, 2024

Six months from now Trump will start asking frantically if polio and diphtheria came from China, too. https://t.co/H6YJ4Dob1E

— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) November 14, 2024

Remember when Sri Lanka let anti-GMO activists write their agricultural policy and then they ran out of food and then the farmer bailout gave them 54% inflation. Don't know why I just thought of that.

— Shadow Of The Nerdtree (@agraybee) November 14, 2024

pic.twitter.com/lz2FQCAnHB

— Grungehamster (@Grungehamster1) November 15, 2024

Dank Grey Dawn Open Thread: <em>Department of Disease Efficiency</em>Post + Comments (128)

War for Ukraine Day 996: The Gangs All Here!

by Adam L Silverman| November 15, 20249:07 pm| 15 Comments

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

Four quick housekeeping notes. First, Rosie is doing great. Thank you for all the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and the donations to cover her vet bills.

Second, I have survived the week. But I’m fried. I’m just going to run down the basics.

Third, it looks like all the go to accounts have made it to BlueSky from the hellsite. So the updates should look more normal minus the Starlink Snowflake’s garbage.

Fourth. the other night several of you went at each other pretty hard in the comments. I meant to mention something last night and apologize for not doing so, but let’s not do that. Everyone is stressed right now. Beating each other up in comments isn’t going to make anything better. Just cut yourselves and each other a little slack.

Normal evening in Kharkiv. There is an air raid alert, russian drones in the region, and a ballistic missiles threat.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 3:39 PM

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

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There Will Be No Minsk-3; What We Need Is Real Peace – Address by the President

15 November 2024 – 19:06

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Briefly about today.

We continued to work on the points of our Internal Resilience Plan. Today, two fundamental points were covered: the frontline and human capital. Everything related to our defense. And everything related to our people – military and civilian, adults and children. The goal is clear – it is our defense against Russian aggression right now, and everything we must do to ensure that we do not lose the post-war peace – to preserve and strengthen our people. Both the state and the people. It is imperative.

Today, I continued our international work. Informal diplomacy. I spoke with university students in Latin America. People in all parts of the world must equally understand what is needed now to restore peace in international relations.

And one more thing.

Regarding one of today’s news stories. Chancellor Scholz told me that he is going to call Putin. Olaf’s call, in my opinion, is Pandora’s box. Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words. And this is exactly what Putin has wanted for a long time: it is crucial for him to weaken his isolation. Russia’s isolation. And to engage in negotiations, ordinary negotiations, that will lead to nothing. As he has been doing for decades. This allowed Russia to change nothing in its policy, to do nothing substantial, and ultimately it led to this war. We understand all these challenges now. We know how to act. And we want to warn everyone: there will be no Minsk-3; what we need is real peace.

Glory to Ukraine!

Germany:

👺 Kremlin reveals what ultimatums Putin gave to Scholz

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— Ukrainska Pravda 🇺🇦 (@pravda.ua) November 15, 2024 at 6:46 PM

Ukrainska Pravda has the details:

The Kremlin has released a statement following a conversation between Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin, during which the Kremlin ruler outlined his ultimatums and repeated his theses.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the Kremlin’s statement

Details: In particular, Putin told the German chancellor that he had unleashed a full-scale war against Ukraine because of NATO’s “long-term aggressive policy aimed at creating an anti-Russian bridgehead on Ukrainian territory”.

He also claimed that he had never refused to negotiate a peaceful settlement, but on Russia’s terms, “taking into account the new territorial realities”.

Putin also lamented the “degradation” of relations between Russia and Germany due to the “unfriendly course” of the authorities in Berlin.

“It was agreed that following the conversation, the leaders’ assistants would be in touch,” the Kremlin concluded.

Background:

It was reported that Scholz called Putin on Friday, condemned Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and insisted that Putin should be ready for negotiations and to withdraw his troops.

It was reported that Scholz spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before speaking with Putin and plans to call him again after the conversation with the Russian ruler.

The moral cowardice of Scholz can only hurt #Ukraine, his country and the rest of Europe. Citizens in the west deserve a better, wiser and more courageous breed of politicians than this.

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— Mick Ryan (@warinthefuture.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 7:01 PM

Seems like it’s time for me to explain again, why Ukraine cannot simply freeze the war and call it peace. 🧵Thread:

1/
– Without a defense clause and troops on the ground from other countries, Ukraine will need a massive standing army to guard a frontline spanning over a thousand kilometers.

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 6:07 PM

2/
– No deterrence against a new invasion will drive more people to leave as borders reopen, fearing a repeat attack.

– Post-war elections in a democratic Ukraine will spark a political crisis if Zelensky is forced into a bad peace deal.

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 6:07 PM

3/
– A nation in political turmoil, under constant Russian threat, won’t attract investments or recover its economy with high-interest loans

– It will embolden those who argue that yielding to Russian demands is the only way to avoid Ukraine’s fate, referring to cheap oil and gas as justification

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 6:07 PM

4/
– An impoverished, crisis-ridden Ukraine will be no match for a partially recovering Russia, which can leverage eased sanctions and resource exports.

– Aid at current levels won’t continue indefinitely, while Russia has more potential to recover than an aid-deprived Ukraine.

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 6:07 PM

5/ In short, any deal that doesn’t deter Russia from a second invasion is a death sentence for Ukraine

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 6:07 PM

France:

France completes training of Ukraine’s newly-formed Anna of Kyiv Brigade

The Brigade completed training in France under EU military assistance, receiving cutting-edge weaponry including VAB APCs, CAESAR howitzers, and Milan anti-tank missiles.

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— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 3:00 PM

From EuroMaidan Press:

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced that the Anna Kyivska Brigade has successfully completed training in France. Defense Minister Rustem Umierov confirmed the brigade is the first Ukrainian unit to be fully trained and equipped by France as part of the European Union’s military training mission for Ukraine.

France has been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters in the EU, supplying weapons such as Caesar self-propelled guns, and Scalp cruise missiles, drones, military combat and transport vehicles. Additionally, France prepares to transfer its Mirage-200F fighter jets next years. The military aid of Ukraine’s allies includes training courses for the Ukrainian soldiers, both under the EU and national programs.

According to the Ministry’s report, Umierov stated:

“French partners have provided our soldiers not only with high-quality general and specialized training but also with modern equipment and weaponry: armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery, trucks, situational awareness systems, and other essential tools.”

He expressed gratitude to the French people and Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu for their leadership and support, emphasizing that this strengthens Ukraine’s military capabilities and moves them closer to shared victory.

President Emmanuel Macron previously disclosed in October that France was training 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers in the Grand Est region, using the French equipment they would deploy in combat. Highlights of the brigade’s arsenal included VAB armored personnel carriers, AMX-10RC combat vehicles, CAESAR self-propelled artillery systems, Mistral MANPADS, and Milan anti-tank missiles.

In today’s post, Umierov commended the soldiers’ professionalism and high morale, calling it a critical contribution to Ukraine’s defense. He also urged other nations to follow France’s example, stating,

“Together we are stronger.”

The Brigade is named after Anna of Kyiv, Medieval French queen and daughter of Kyiv Prince Yaroslav the Wise.

Last month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine had secured French support to equip another brigade with similar advanced weaponry. Zelenskyy underscored the urgency of bolstering frontline forces amid the ongoing third year of full-scale war with Russia.

Norway:

Ukraine and Norway signed a deal to accelerate arms production within Ukraine

Earlier, Norway’s announced €500 million in military aid for Ukraine, which included F-16 aircraft and NASAMS air defense systems

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— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 2:00 PM

EuroMaidan Press has the details:

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has announced that Norway pledged to fund the production of arms and military equipment at Ukrainian enterprises to support the country’s armed forces.

The Nordic countries remain among Ukraine’s strongest allies, offering military aid, training, and advocacy for Ukraine’s sovereignty on international platforms.

Militarnyi reports that Norway is joining the “Danish format” with its latest assistance to bolster Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

This approach includes direct financing of Ukrainian production facilities, which would enable faster manufacturing and delivery of essential arms for Ukraine’s defense forces.

During a visit to Oslo on 14-15 November, Umerov and his Norwegian counterpart, Bjørn Arild Gram, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation. The document outlines the principles, goals, and framework for future projects between the two countries.

Norway’s Ministry of Defense emphasized that its support for Ukraine is closely coordinated with Kyiv and tailored to the needs of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Under this scheme, Ukraine proposes specific procurement projects, which Danish authorities review and approve before funding is allocated.

“We must empower Ukraine’s defense industry to produce as many products as possible for its armed forces. This agreement will help boost the production of weapons and ammunition, reducing the time required to get critical equipment where needed most,” Gram said.

Earlier, Norway announced a €500 million military aid package for Ukraine, which included F-16 fighter jets and NASAMS air defense systems.

Of this, $118.8 million is allocated specifically for purchasing weapon systems and spare parts for Ukrainian F-16s.

Russian occupied Abkhazia, Georgia:

Protests against a controversial investment agreement with Russia escalated into clashes in Sukhum, the capital of Russian-occupied Abkhazia. The proposed law seeks to permit Russians to purchase property in Abkhazia.

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— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) November 15, 2024 at 11:11 AM

From The Kyiv Independent:

Protests against a controversial investment agreement with Russia escalated into clashes in Sukhum, the capital of Russian-occupied Abkhazia. The proposed law seeks to permit Russians to purchase property in Abkhazia.

Abkhazia is internationally recognized as part of Georgia, but is under illegal Russian control.

Demonstrators rallied outside the local proxy parliament, denouncing the agreement as one-sided and advantageous only to Moscow. Despite the parliament’s decision to postpone the agreement’s consideration, protesters demanded an immediate vote to reject it, according to European Pravda.

The protest intensified as demonstrators reportedly surrounded key government buildings.

Echo of the Caucasus, a media outlet affiliated with Radio Liberty, reported that protesters threw eggs and bottles at law enforcement officers. Earlier, they used a car to breach part of the fence, gaining access to the area surrounding the building.

Shots were reportedly fired during the rally, but local media stated there were no casualties. Tear gas was used to disperse the crowd, according to Echo of the Caucasus.

Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti reported via Telegram that protesters managed to enter the parliament building and were advancing further inside.

Additionally, the AMRA-Life Telegram channel reported that Abkhaz opposition leader Levan Mykaa announced protesters would occupy the building until the president resigns. This claim has not been officially confirmed.

Abkhazia has recently drawn attention due to rumors of accelerated construction at the Ochamchire naval base, allegedly being developed by Russia. Despite satellite imagery showing construction activity, Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba claimed in September that there are “no plans” for a Russian naval base in the occupied region, which lacks a navy of its own.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine would target Russia’s Black Sea Fleet “wherever it is stationed,” hinting at potential strikes on Russian-controlled areas of Georgia, including Abkhazia.

As for the news from Abkhazia, the protesters have not dispersed. Earlier, the opposition gave President Aslan Bzhania an hour to resign, but he refused and then allegedly fled to a Russian military base. Video is from a few hours ago.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 5:38 PM

Officially, the president’s press service reported that he left Sukhumi after the opposition’s ultimatum for his resignation. In short, it’s still too early to throw the popcorn away, although, of course, the situation is unlikely to lead to anything particularly exciting.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 5:38 PM

Toretsk:

🚨 Heavy urban fighting rages in Toretsk, Russian forces gather reserves on Siversk front

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— Ukrainska Pravda 🇺🇦 (@pravda.ua) November 15, 2024 at 8:12 AM

From Ukrainska Pravda:

Heavy urban fighting is continuing in the city of Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast, and Russia is gathering reserves of personnel and equipment on the Siversk front.

Source: Anastasiia Bobovnikova, spokesperson for the Luhansk Operational and Tactical Group of Ukrainian forces, on the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: “Active urban fighting is raging in Toretsk. Urban battles are always challenging. Even though the equipment isn’t used in such battles… it’s still hard and dirty work. Just so you understand, we take out up to a hundred enemies in one day in Toretsk alone. So imagine how large these battles are and how hard they are for us.”

Details: Bobovnikova explained that Russian forces are launching attacks in small assault groups on the Toretsk front, where intense urban combat is underway. Additionally, the Russians are carrying out numerous airstrikes in the area under the responsibility of the Luhansk Operational and Tactical Group.

The spokeswoman added that Russia is gathering equipment and personnel in the area of the war-torn city of Chasiv Yar and on the Siversk front.

Quote: “The enemy is not active there, compared to other areas, such as Toretsk, for example, but we see that they’re gathering equipment, preparing it… mounting (electronic warfare) protection. And, naturally, they’re amassing personnel because Chasiv Yar is a city, and there will be city battles again, as well as cannon fodder assaults. Similarly, they’re also gathering personnel on the Siversk front and are now attacking mainly with small assault groups.”

💔🇺🇦 “Toretsk, 35.000 people before the war. Russia’s destroyed Ukrainian city to the ground,” — MFA Sybiha

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— MAKS 24 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 1:02 PM

Odesa:

#Odesa Last night, one friend’s apartment is damaged and a family member injured; two friends’ buildings are damaged by #Russian Shahid drone attacks.

Buildings in historic downtown ruined.

Every night, Russia targets Odesa with Shahid Drones.

I am in #Kherson but my heart is bleeding.

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— Zarina Zabrisky (@zarinazabrisky.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 10:46 AM

The Kursk cross border offensive:

Launch of a Ukrainian Javelin anti-tank missile at an advancing Russian vehicle in the Kursk region.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 3:39 AM

This is an episode from a longer video posted today by the 36th Marine Brigade operating in the area as they repelled another mechanised assault.
t.me/ua_marines_3…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 3:39 AM

Another hard day with large Rusian attacks on the Kursk front. The current phase of Russian waves of attacks in the Kursk region has been ongoing since 7th of November. t.me/officer_alex…

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 3:49 AM

Kurakhove:

💥🦅 Destruction of Russian tank and MT-LB by FPV drones in the Kurakhove direction, – 46th Air Mobile Brigade

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— MAKS 24 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 1:20 PM

Kupyansk:

🫡 Capture of three occupiers who broke into Kupyansk yesterday.

💥 Today, the Russians tried to repeat the assault along the same route, but this time the Ukrainian units were ready and start to destroy enemy in their positions.

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— MAKS 24 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 2:18 PM

Left bank of the Dnipro, Kherson Oblast:

An airstrike by the 114th Tactical Aviation Brigade using GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs on a Russian command post on the left bank of the Kherson region.

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) November 15, 2024 at 11:28 AM

Shizne, Russian occupied Donetsk Oblast:

As the Russians say on the video, those are mass graves near Snizhne, Donetsk region. In which there are about 6,000 bodies of Russian soldiers with the status of “missing in action.” t.me/russianocont…

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) November 14, 2024 at 12:47 PM

Velyka Novosilka, Donetsk Oblast:

It is so important to show the world the reality of what is happening. The closer the Russian military gets to Ukrainian towns and villages, the less chance there is for human beings and buildings with infrastructure to survive. Velyka Novosilka, Donecko sritis.

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— Katerina Horbunova (@blue-eyed.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 9:48 AM

Krymsk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia:

Tonight drones targeted Russian military airfield in Krymsk, Krasnodar region of Russia. Russians claim that 50-60 drones were used. Results of the attack are yet unknown. 330km from the frontline.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 3:18 AM

/2. Krymsk military airfield location

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 3:19 AM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

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

Happy Thursday, everyone!
Have a great day and support Ukraine.

📷: 127th TDF Brigade

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— Defense of Ukraine (@defenceu.bsky.social) November 14, 2024 at 11:46 AM

Yes, I’m the kind of dude who would turn his car back and give his sandwich to a stray dog at a supermarket because otherwise, I’d consider myself a terrible person and wouldn’t have any sleep.

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— Illia Ponomarenko (@ioponomarenko.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 7:43 PM

Open thread!

War for Ukraine Day 996: The Gangs All Here!Post + Comments (15)

Home Again (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker| November 15, 20245:36 pm| 108 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Vase with tulips in the foreground, river view from a porch
When we left home to escape the flood weeks ago, one of the things I left behind was a vase filled with beautiful tulips. Bill brought them home to me a week before, so I was sad about it, but there wasn’t a practical way to transport them along with all the other crap we had to take, plus two dogs.

After we left, Bill visited the house at least once a week by boat. Last week he got pretty far down the dirt road by truck and walked in wearing waders. This morning, he made it all the way home in the pickup.

Our rental checkout was scheduled for Monday, but we were both anxious to go home, so today we did. There’s still several inches of water downstairs, but the road is passable, and the yard is dry enough for the yappy monsters to do their business.

So I am once again settled in a comfy chair on my beloved porch, gazing out at the river and observing the activities of the waterfowl. The Belted Kingfishers are particularly active just now!

Kingfisher perched on a branch, beak open.

We’re thrilled to be back to the solitude of the woods after our unscheduled adventure in town. I will miss Door Dash, which isn’t a thing in the swamp. But I’m so happy to be home, even though there’s a mind-boggling mess to clean up!

Also, when I walked in the door, I noticed there were tulips in the vase, as pictured up top! Now, we’ve been gone a month, so how the hell are the tulips still fresh, I wondered? They couldn’t be.

Bill brought new ones in this morning when he came to see if the road was dry enough. Because he knew it would make me happy.

If there’s a moral to this story, it’s that even acid-tongued harridans can win the love of a kind and thoughtful man. Sometimes life is a shit sandwich, but also sometimes we get luckier than we deserve.

Totally open thread!

Home Again (Open Thread)Post + Comments (108)

Gretchen on The End of the Beginning (Nov 13, 2025 @ 4:35pm)

RaflW on The End of the Beginning (Nov 13, 2025 @ 4:33pm)

Aussie Sheila on By Popular Demand (okay one person asked for it) (Nov 13, 2025 @ 4:29pm)

lowtechcyclist on By Popular Demand (okay one person asked for it) (Nov 13, 2025 @ 4:28pm)

Glidwrith on By Popular Demand (okay one person asked for it) (Nov 13, 2025 @ 4:27pm)

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

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

You cannot shame the shameless.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

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

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

Bark louder, little dog.

Republicans in disarray!

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

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

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

“Alexa, change the president.”

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

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War for Ukraine Day 996: The Gangs All Here!

There Will Be No Minsk-3; What We Need Is Real Peace – Address by the President

Home Again (Open Thread)