Balloon Juice - Open Threads Archives

Saturday Morning Open Thread: President Biden Has An Omnibus Spending Bill to Sign

by Anne Laurie| March 23, 20247:10 am| 140 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat

BREAKING: Senate passes $1.2 trillion funding package in early morning vote, ending threat of partial shutdown https://t.co/kCCXrrYxrI

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 23, 2024

Per the Associated Press, “Senate passes $1.2 trillion funding package in early morning vote, ending threat of partial shutdown”:

The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

The vote was 74-24. It came after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight, but the White House sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing the Office of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of confidence that Congress would pass the legislation and the president would sign it on Saturday.

“Because obligations of federal funds are incurred and tracked on a daily basis, agencies will not shut down and may continue their normal operations,” the White House statement said.

Prospects for a short-term government shutdown had appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. Any successful amendments to the bill would have sent the legislation back to the House, which had already left town for a two-week recess.

But shortly before midnight Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a breakthrough.

“It’s been a very long and difficult day, but we have just reached an agreement to complete the job of funding the government,” Schumer said. “It is good for the country that we have reached this bipartisan deal. It wasn’t easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it.”…

Rep. Jeffries had a pretty good day:

The House has passed legislation to fund the government, meet the needs of everyday Americans and avoid a shutdown.

People. Over. Politics. pic.twitter.com/gPIi0HpURT

— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) March 22, 2024

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Saturday Morning Open Thread: President Biden Has An Omnibus Spending Bill to SignPost + Comments (140)

Pre-Dawn Open Thread: Are You Ready for the Weekend?…

by Anne Laurie| March 23, 20243:44 am| 99 Comments

This post is in: Cat Blogging, Open Threads

look at this cat! his name is Bruce and he is real https://t.co/9uGUlHOgCC pic.twitter.com/qOslqMnA1c

— mang mang, my baby shot me down (@mangmangmang) March 21, 2024

Incorrect assemblage at the factory, always read the instructions

— Momodog (@Dougalpop1) March 22, 2024

According to I Can Haz Cheeseburger:

Bruce was brought into the vet for reasons unbeknownst to us, probably because his owners were wondering what is up with this crazy chimera cat? It turns out that Bruce is fine and healthy, and the vets describe him as a Minuet, which is a combination of a Persian cat and a Munchkin cat…

Munchkin cats have shortened limbs, like dachshunds. So the little dude inherited a (fortunately modified) ‘peke face’ from the Persian side of his gene line, he’s an XXY male with achondroplasia, and considering his pale eyes, probably a whole bunch of other extremely recessive genes as well. And yet, still (to human eyes) adorably cute… which he probably doesn’t love, either.

Probably a chimera cat. Two different embryos fused together in utero. Rare, but not unprecedented. pic.twitter.com/hj9cEH6nos

— RealJeffGfetus (@RealJeffGfetus) March 21, 2024

Pre-Dawn Open Thread: Are *You* Ready for the Weekend?…Post + Comments (99)

War for Ukraine Day 758: Russia Bombards Ukrainian Civilian Targets & Infrastructure Again

by Adam L Silverman| March 22, 20249:29 pm| 68 Comments

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

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

And we’ve got a government shutdown!

Absent an agreement, the cloture vote will occur one hour after the Senate convenes on Sunday, March 24, 2024. https://t.co/CJNoR4x0sN

— Senate Periodicals (@SenatePPG) March 23, 2024

It’s over the weekend, so it shouldn’t affect much, but we’ve got one. Now we wait to see if they can pass the thing on Sunday.

As I begin this post, air raid alerts are once again up all over Ukraine as Russia has its fighter bombers in the air. We’ll have to wait to find out if they do another bombardment tonight/this morning.

Overnight, Ukrainian forces shot down 92 of the 151 russian aerial targets.
The terrorist state attacked Ukraine with:
•63 Shahed UAVs
•12 Iskander-M ballistic missiles
•40 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles
•5 Kh-22 cruise missiles
•7 Kh-47 M2 (Kinzhal) aeroballistic missiles… pic.twitter.com/orRb9pSd5I

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 22, 2024

Overnight, Ukrainian forces shot down 92 of the 151 russian aerial targets.
The terrorist state attacked Ukraine with:
•63 Shahed UAVs
•12 Iskander-M ballistic missiles
•40 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles
•5 Kh-22 cruise missiles
•7 Kh-47 M2 (Kinzhal) aeroballistic missiles
•22 S-300/S-400 anti-aircraft missiles
•2 Kh-59 guided cruise missiles

Our air defenders downed:
•55 Shaheds
•35 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles
•2 Kh-59 guided cruise missiles

Ukraine needs more air defense!

This night, Russia launched over 60 "Shahed" drones and nearly 90 missiles of various types at Ukraine. The world sees the Russian terrorists' targets as clearly as possible: power plants and energy supply lines, a hydroelectric dam, ordinary residential buildings, and even a… pic.twitter.com/5dX2fAMMiE

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 22, 2024

This night, Russia launched over 60 “Shahed” drones and nearly 90 missiles of various types at Ukraine. The world sees the Russian terrorists’ targets as clearly as possible: power plants and energy supply lines, a hydroelectric dam, ordinary residential buildings, and even a trolleybus. Russia is at war with people’s everyday lives. My condolences to the loved ones of those killed by this terror.

In all of the cities affected by the attack, the necessary services have already been deployed. Rescuers, power engineers, regional and local authorities, police and utility services are helping people. Nobody will be left without assistance. Electrical power is being restored. Recovery in Kharkiv and its region, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Poltava, Dnipro, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi and its region, Vinnytsia, and Ivano-Frankivsk has begun as of last night.

Russian missiles have no delays, unlike aid packages for Ukraine. “Shahed” drones have no indecision, unlike some politicians. It is critical to understand the cost of delays and postponed decisions.

Patriot systems must protect Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia; air defense is required to protect people, infrastructure, homes, and dams. Our partners know exactly what is needed. They can definitely support us. These are necessary decisions. Life must be protected from these savages from Moscow.

This map illustrates the extent of Russia’s assault on Ukraine: 88 missiles and 63 Shahed drones unleashed. Though 37 missiles and 55 drones were intercepted, the gaps in air defense are glaring—a vulnerability Russia is keenly aware of. pic.twitter.com/P3383Aabw2

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) March 22, 2024

Footage shows Russian missile attacks on the Dnipro dam in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric power plant. pic.twitter.com/uwkGSiZZsW

— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) March 22, 2024

More on this after the jump. And the day’s other big news. Had Russia not bombarded Ukraine again I was going to go with Panic at the Disco for the subtitle of tonight’s update.

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

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Russian terror is only possible now because we lack enough air defense systems, because our partners lack the political will to provide them – address by the President

22 March 2024 – 20:31

Dear Ukrainians,

Throughout the day, the utmost attention is being directed to all our regions hit by Russian strikes last night. Everywhere there were impacts, recovery efforts are underway. All services, repair brigades, rescue teams of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, police, and everyone involved will be working around the clock to overcome this terror to the maximum extent possible. The city of Kharkiv and Kharkiv region, Sumy region, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Poltava region, Odesa region, the city of Khmelnytsky and Khmelnytsky region, Vinnytsia, and Ivano-Frankivsk region… these strikes were extremely heinous, with the deliberate goal of causing structural damage to society’s life rather than military damage to our ability to defend ourselves – and this is terror, by definition, without any disguises.

Overall, the strikes harmed over thirty people across the country. As of now, five people have been reported killed… My condolences to their close ones. A significant part of the energy system has been damaged.

Today, I held a Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff meeting primarily focusing on protection and recovery operations. Military personnel, including detailed briefings from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi and Commander of the Air Force Oleschuk, provided updates. Additionally, necessary reports were received from Prime Minister Shmyhal, government officials, energy company executives, and regional leaders… Everyone has been provided with clear guidelines for action. Personal responsibility is paramount.

The situation in Kharkiv is particularly challenging. Restoration of electricity for critical infrastructure and residential consumers is ongoing. This work will continue without interruptions. Much progress has been made during the day in Kharkiv region, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Khmelnytsky region, Vinnytsia region, and Poltava region to restore electricity, water, and heating supplies. Work continues in Odesa region. Special attention is being given to hydroelectric facilities in Zaporizhzhia.

I thank everyone working for Ukraine, for the people. Repair brigades, engineers, and all power plant workers are true heroes. The collective effort of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service is commendable as always, and I am proud of each one of them. The police, businesses, and all those providing support at this time, thank you. Unified government action on the ground is crucial – now, more than ever, the personal effectiveness of everyone managing communities is needed.

Certainly, air defense is the top priority right now. Our people here in Ukraine are responsible for the physical protection of facilities and their recovery following strikes. However, true and comprehensive protection from Russian missiles and Shahed drones is only possible with sufficient political will on the part of our partners. We work on it every day. Every day, we persuade partners of the importance and, more importantly, the feasibility of full protection of Ukrainian skies. Russian terror is only possible now because we don’t have enough modern air defense systems – in other words, frankly, because our partners lack the political will to provide them. They all know exactly what is required and who can make life-saving decisions.

Today, I held several international meetings. I met with the Minister of Defence of Denmark, a country that is one of our most principled partners. If everyone assisted as principled as they do, we would have already been able to reliably protect the lives of our country and people from Russian terror. Today, we discussed the consequences of today’s Russian attack and the situation in the future… We highly appreciate that the Minister of Defence of Denmark was accompanied by leaders of Danish defense companies. Relevant discussions, meetings were held… We are preparing joint projects regarding drones, EW, and artillery. I’m grateful for all the support and cooperation.

Today, I also met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. We discussed, among other things, the fair responsibility of the Russian state for all the terror. We in Ukraine appreciate international efforts regarding the Register of Damage and all forms of pressure on the Putin system to reduce and block its ability to destroy lives. Everyone who helps Ukraine, everyone who limits Russia’s terrorist and military potential, is a true lifesaver. History always remembers such leaders; they earn real respect for themselves and maintain the moral leadership of their countries.

And one more thing.

I want to separately acknowledge the efforts of the employees of our State Emergency Service who are currently working in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia… I’m grateful to everyone. In Kharkiv: Vitaliy Yelezyev and Volodymyr Vodolazkin from the 25th Fire and Rescue Unit; Volodymyr Avramenko and Vitaliy Shramko from the 34th Fire and Rescue Unit; and Vitaliy Senchikhin, a worker of the central administration of the State Emergency Service in Kharkiv region. In Zaporizhzhia: Serhiy Terentyev from the 2nd Fire and Rescue Unit; Vitaliy Tubalov from the 5th Fire and Rescue Unit; Kostiantyn Zhuravliov from the 6th Fire and Rescue Unit; Oleksiy Ponomarenko from the 10th Fire and Rescue Unit; and also Ihor Shabatiuk, an employee of the central administration of the State Emergency Service in Zaporizhzhia region. I also want to specially mention Senior Lieutenants of the National Police Volodymyr Hryshanov and Danylo Kuchynskyi, who are working in Zaporizhzhia, helping to restore and protect normal life. Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who defends Ukraine, our people, lives, and independence. Thank you to each and every one who fights for our state and for holding Russian terrorists fully accountable for all the evil of this war. Glory to our nation!

Glory to Ukraine!

Ukraine desperately more air defense, so this announcement from the UK is good news!

The UK announced a new £60 million military aid package for Ukraine. The package includes advanced new surveillance drones and air defence systems.
Thank you, United Kingdom!
Together, we will win!
🇺🇦🤝🇬🇧 https://t.co/aEPtD7i1AW

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 22, 2024

And these Lithuanian anti-drone systems will also be helpful.

Lithuania handed over another military aid package to Ukraine. The package includes anti-drone systems.
Your support is very important for us.
Thank you for being on the right side of history.
🇺🇦🤝🇱🇹 https://t.co/J655yGzlFI

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 22, 2024

This morning’s attack is a perfect example of why the anti-drone systems are sorely needed. The Russians start with the Shaheds, swarming them in to overwhelm the air defense system. Then they follow them with the ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The attack the other night on Kyiv, where the Ukrainians were able to bring down all the ballistic and cruise missiles was a missiles only attack. No drone swarms in the first wave to overwhelm the air defense.

This will also be helpful:

The first Ukrainian pilots have completed basic flying training in the UK.
The next step is advanced flying training provided by the French Air Force.

We are grateful to our partners in the UK for the training of Ukrainian pilots and their unwavering support. Ukraine is waiting… https://t.co/2lPHRbv1f1

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 22, 2024

The first Ukrainian pilots have completed basic flying training in the UK.
The next step is advanced flying training provided by the French Air Force.

We are grateful to our partners in the UK for the training of Ukrainian pilots and their unwavering support. Ukraine is waiting for F-16s to protect our skies from russian terror.
Together, we are stronger.
🇺🇦🤝🇬🇧

It would have been more helpful if the Biden administration hadn’t sat on their hands out of fear of Putin for an additional year.

Have to admit, after more than two years of a full-scale war in Europe, we're still bitterly underestimating many decision-makers in their inconceivable, unprecedented reluctance to leave their safe, liability-free comfort zone of rosy unicorns and the same old business as usual.…

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) March 22, 2024

Have to admit, after more than two years of a full-scale war in Europe, we’re still bitterly underestimating many decision-makers in their inconceivable, unprecedented reluctance to leave their safe, liability-free comfort zone of rosy unicorns and the same old business as usual.

It’s good that Putin is a fucking moron and that his regime is corrupt and delusional, and that Ukraine, with its frantic resistance in 2022, in many ways derailed the Russian might and plans.

A really smart totalitarian dictator in charge of a country like Russia would have eaten today’s West for breakfast.

Poor little Russia, stop hurting it like that – or better just fucking die already pic.twitter.com/QFnPLV1ecQ

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) March 22, 2024

The US be like: "We support your struggle against the Russian invasion, but please dont shoot back or destroy anything fancy. It might get a bit more expensive for me to drive my oversized pickup truck. So you know, shoot back, a little bit, but dont make anyone upset. " pic.twitter.com/EiWzZot9ZY

— Def Mon (@DefMon3) March 22, 2024

The Financial Times has the details:

The US has urged Ukraine to halt attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, warning that the drone strikes risk driving up global oil prices and provoking retaliation, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

The repeated warnings from Washington were delivered to senior officials at Ukraine’s state security service, the SBU, and its military intelligence directorate, known as the GUR, the people told the Financial Times.

Both intelligence units have steadily expanded their own drone programmes to strike Russian targets on land, sea and in the air since the start of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

One person said that the White House had grown increasingly frustrated by brazen Ukrainian drone attacks that have struck oil refineries, terminals, depots and storage facilities across western Russia, hurting its oil production capacity.

Russia remains one of the world’s most important energy exporters despite western sanctions on its oil and gas sector. Oil prices have risen about 15 per cent this year, to $85 a barrel, pushing up fuel costs just as US President Joe Biden begins his campaign for re-election.

Washington is also concerned that if Ukraine keeps hitting Russian facilities, including many that are hundreds of miles from the border, Russia could retaliate by lashing out at energy infrastructure relied on by the west.

This includes the CPC pipeline carrying oil from Kazakhstan through Russia to the global market. Western companies including ExxonMobil and Chevron use the pipeline, which Moscow briefly shut in 2022.

“We do not encourage or enable attacks inside of Russia,” an NSC spokesperson said. The CIA declined to comment. In Kyiv, a spokesperson for the SBU declined to comment. Officials at GUR and Zelenskyy’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

After the Financial Times published news of the US warnings on Friday Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, was asked how Kyiv had responded to the Biden administration’s appeals to stop attacks on Russian refineries.

She said: “The Ukrainian side responded, I think, precisely by achieving its goals and by very successful operations conducted on the territory of the Russian Federation.”

“We understand the appeals of our American partners,” Stefanishyna told an audience at the Kyiv Security Forum. “At the same time, we are fighting with the capabilities, resources and practices that we have today.”

The US objections come as Biden faces a tough re-election battle this year with petrol prices on the rise, increasing almost 15 per cent this year to around $3.50 a gallon.

“Nothing terrifies a sitting American president more than a surge in pump prices during an election year,” said Bob McNally, president of consultancy Rapidan Energy and a former White House energy adviser.

Maybe they'd have some leverage if they actually got aid to Ukraine in the past 3 months, but if you abandon an ally you can't expect them to do what you want https://t.co/cxADGkhdEc

— Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ (@CalibreObscura) March 22, 2024

https://twitter.com/CalibreObscura/status/1771053595338703040

If you’re not providing any more funding or material, then you don’t get to dictate terms. The Biden senior nat-sec team needs to spend some time reflecting on there utter strategic incompetence, malpractice, failure, and moral cowardice.

Especially given what Russia is communicating in its response to the attacks on its petroleum refineries:

If Russia resorts to environmental terrorism, it shows that Ukraine has identified a vulnerable spot and should continue to apply pressure on it. Their response confirmed where it hurts.

— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) March 22, 2024

Zaporizhzhia Oblast:

Eight Russian missiles targeted the Dnipro Dam in Zaporizhia this morning, Ukrainian authorities say. pic.twitter.com/Ycj2O9jnRG

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) March 22, 2024

Russia just vaporized those houses and people who lived there.

Ukraine is running out of air defense.

Putin got the second breath after securing he is an emperor of russia.

The US is not a superpower anymore.

These are dark times, and the darker times are comming. https://t.co/2PEDjYVtyN

— Mariia Kramarenko (@KramarenkoMari3) March 22, 2024

Overnight, Russia launched an attack on Ukrainian energy facilities, damaging power generation, transmission and distribution systems in various regions, including Ukraine's largest hydroelectric power plant, the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant in Zaporizhzhia.

Many towns and… pic.twitter.com/AAubRfDebU

— Ihor Lachenkov (@igorlachenkov) March 22, 2024

The largest attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this year. Electricity facilities targeted throughout the country. Dnipro Dam in Zaporizhzhia hit, power outages in Kryvyi Rih, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnitsia. Power transmission line feeding Zaporizhzhia NPP de-energized. pic.twitter.com/Lt2VNM1sCm

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) March 22, 2024

Kharkiv:

Kharkiv is completely blacked out. Russian forces struck about 15 missiles at the city.

— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) March 22, 2024

Kharkiv electrical infrastructure got slammed by ballistic missiles in air raids tonight. pic.twitter.com/CXS9h7HuSi

— War Tracker (@wartracker4) March 22, 2024

As a result of the russian attack on #Kharkiv, the energy infrastructure was damaged, but the station is provided with backup power from generators – and all the station systems are working!

Passengers and residents can drink hot tea, keep warm and charge their gadgets at the… pic.twitter.com/j2WkyY75eQ

— Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) March 22, 2024

As a result of the russian attack on #Kharkiv, the energy infrastructure was damaged, but the station is provided with backup power from generators – and all the station systems are working!

Passengers and residents can drink hot tea, keep warm and charge their gadgets at the station: we thank our partners The Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Nova Ukraine for their help.

For the youngest guests at Kharkiv railway station, the children’s point “Spilno” from @Ukrzaliznytsia and @UNICEF Ukraine continues to operate: in the free entertainment area, parents can relax in warmth and safety, and children can play and be distracted.

Nothing stops the Ukrainian Railways from continuing to run. Plus, the Food Train 🚂🧑‍🍳 is now in action supporting the people of Kharkiv after the brutal attack this morning – 21 missiles were fired at the city and power/heat is still out. https://t.co/v097dZ9MTZ

— Nate Mook (@natemook) March 22, 2024

The Avdiivka front:

As many sources have already written, Russians began to use the Desertcross 1000-3 much more often on the front line. Now some tactics of their use by Russians in assaults have begun to become clear. A Russian unit consisting of 5-8 infantrymen on each “golf cart” moves to the… pic.twitter.com/FBRDBLedmo

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) March 22, 2024

As many sources have already written, Russians began to use the Desertcross 1000-3 much more often on the front line. Now some tactics of their use by Russians in assaults have begun to become clear. A Russian unit consisting of 5-8 infantrymen on each “golf cart” moves to the frontline, after which they abandon the “golf cart” and are expected to take and hold positions.

The 47th brigade shows the destruction of one such groups on the Avdiivka front:

“Russian special forces that drove into Berdychi on a Chinese golf cart (no joke).
At first, they even shot down our drone with an assault rifle. Then they used smoke cover, like in cool action movies, and ran to hide.
Four hid in the remains of the building’s foundation, one lay down in the crater, and two hid under destroyed equipment.”

https://t.me/strikedronescompany/141

Let’s get to the other big news: ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) has claimed responsibility for attacking the Crocus nightclub in Moscow.

For those curious on past IS activity in Russia please see this thread for proper context: https://t.co/MZSD1Plwpk

— Aaron Y. Zelin (@azelin) March 22, 2024

Reuters has the details. (emphasis mine)

March 22 (Reuters) – The United States has intelligence confirming Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for a deadly shooting at a concert near Moscow, a U.S. official said on Friday.

The official said the United States had warned Russia in recent weeks about the possibility of an attack.

“We did warn the Russians appropriately,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, without providing any additional details.

At least 40 people were killed and 145 wounded on Friday when camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons on concertgoers near Moscow in one of the deadliest attacks on Russia in decades.

Islamic State, the militant group that once sought control over swathes of Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack, the group’s Amaq agency said on Telegram.

The death toll made it one of the worst attacks on Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege, when Islamist militants took more than 1,000 people hostage, including hundreds of children.

I saw the initial reports on the attack on social media and noted it. My initial thought was Putin has a long track record of attacking his own people and using it as agitprop against his enemies. Then Gin & Tonic emailed about the ISIS rumors. And when I finished my workout and started poking around I immediately found the Reuters reporting.

May be unrelated, but a couple weeks ago, the US Embassy in Russia told citizens to avoid large gatherings — including concerts.https://t.co/ueW9pwkXIf

— Aric Toler (@AricToler) March 22, 2024

Videos of the building on fire. There are videos showing the gunmen shooting people at close ranges, which I won't share. It appears there are at least 4 gunmen. 2/https://t.co/kTCzEgR0pW https://t.co/HYZMRqTIPE https://t.co/VIKL7JDDSK https://t.co/AWjk1YIY9F pic.twitter.com/uTn5hVWGdZ

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 22, 2024

Cannot recall ever seeing such complete official bewilderment in Russia following such an attack. State media figures now dismissing ISIS claims, but also failing to come forward with their own narrative, which they normally do fast https://t.co/f6hxUi26Qj

— Peter Leonard (@Peter__Leonard) March 22, 2024

https://twitter.com/KevinRothrock/status/1771333850683064542

Reuters reported this just two weeks ago:

MOSCOW, March 7 (Reuters) – Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday it prevented an attack on a synagogue in Moscow that was plotted by an Islamic State cell, Russian state news agencies reported.

FSB said that the members of the organization had been planning “to commit a terrorist act against one of the Jewish religious institutions in Moscow”, the RIA news agency quoted the report as saying.

The attackers opened fire during the attempted arrest and were “neutralized by return fire”, the FSB said.

🧵“Recent intelligence reporting indicated the ISIS-K terrorist group, a branch of the Islamic State that has operated in Afghanistan, Pakistan & Iran, was active inside Russia, two U.S. officials said. https://t.co/qUDur2tRJs

— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) March 23, 2024

“The warning was based in part on intelligence reporting about possible ISIS-K activity inside Russia, said the U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.”

— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) March 23, 2024

So while US Embassy Moscow was issuing warnings, the Russians did not seem to go on alert after they broke up a terrorist attack by ISIS at the beginning of the month.

In fact Putin was using the threat as agitprop just a few days ago.

Just 3 days ago, Putin called warnings of terror attacks "Western blackmail".

In any normal country, such a statement followed by an actual attack resulting in hundreds of victims would have led to an immediate resignation and criminal investigation for failing to carry out the… pic.twitter.com/CcmGxlVVJe

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) March 22, 2024

Just 3 days ago, Putin called warnings of terror attacks “Western blackmail”.

In any normal country, such a statement followed by an actual attack resulting in hundreds of victims would have led to an immediate resignation and criminal investigation for failing to carry out the responsibilities of protecting the country’s citizens.

But hey ho, 24 years and counting.

FYI, even with this very convenient blur, this is not what Ukrainian license plates look like, of course. pic.twitter.com/XKEume6BU9

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) March 22, 2024

The license plates appear to be Belarusian. Which makes sense as it is easier to get into Russia from Belarus than from just about anywhere else these days.

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets or videos tonight. So here is some adjacent material.

Hachiko will help! Thanks 🙏 for taking good care of Snowball from Kherson, who is now with her new family in Lviv!😻 https://t.co/UOHT8SyyhV pic.twitter.com/g3EZiyCUrH

— Nate Mook (@natemook) March 22, 2024

It is well beyond time to designate Russia as a terrorist state. https://t.co/gwZe5Nozit

— Nate Mook (@natemook) March 22, 2024

Yes, yes it is!

Open thread!

War for Ukraine Day 758: Russia Bombards Ukrainian Civilian Targets & Infrastructure AgainPost + Comments (68)

Friday Evening Open Thread: Jared Kushner, Real Estate Dealer

by Anne Laurie| March 22, 20246:30 pm| 37 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Trump Crime Cartel

"Gaza’s waterfront property could be very valuable … if people would focus on building up livelihoods" — Jared Kushner https://t.co/RkDjUKHh51

— Josh Kovensky (@JoshKovensky) March 19, 2024

Jared and his lady wife have insisted that they are out, out, never getting back together with a potential second Trump administration… and there’s no reason not to believe him (until, Murphy forbid, it actually happens), because Kushner’s found a new actually-super-wealthy sugar daddy in Saudi Arabia. The ‘beachfront condos in Gaza’ story is, IMO, further confirmation: If there were any communication between Kushner and TFG’s handlers, they’d have found *some* way to keep him from running his mouth about displacing two million Palestinians until after the election.

And once it’s being ~~pigbladdered~~ discussed in the Washington Post, it’s too late to cobble up some polite fantasy about ‘misspeaking’. Josh Rogin, “Kushner’s Gaza remarks are a dark signal for Trump’s second-term policy” [gift link]:

… In a Feb. 15 interview at Harvard University, videos of which have recently emerged, Kushner said several striking things about the Israel-Gaza crisis. “Gaza’s waterfront property could be very valuable,” he said, lamenting that Palestinians had diverted resources away from economic development and toward weapons and tunnels. “It’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there, but from Israel’s perspective, I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up.”

This language prompted widespread criticism in Arab media as a call for giving Gazan land to Israelis — and as an evocation of ethnic cleansing. Kushner said on X on Tuesday his words were taken out of context. Reached on Thursday, he said he was proposing Gazans be moved only temporarily. “With regard to moving the people, if Israel is going to invade Rafah, there are options they should consider to protect the civilians,” he told me.

In fairness, Kushner did at first say during his Harvard interview that if he were in charge in Israel, he would create “a secure area” inside Israel’s Negev desert to house Palestinians while Israeli forces “finish the job,” in the absence of Arab countries willing to take them in as refugees. Tarek Masoud, his interviewer and faculty director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative, asked if this was something under actual consideration in Israel.

“I don’t know,” Kushner said. “I’m sitting in Miami Beach right now. And I’m looking at the situation, and I’m thinking: What would I do if I was there?”

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Friday Evening Open Thread: Jared Kushner, Real Estate DealerPost + Comments (37)

Gallagher Raises Middle Finger to Pastor Johnson

by @heymistermix.com| March 22, 20243:53 pm| 114 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Mike Gallagher, R-WI-8, announced his resignation today. He’s leaving on April 18, which, quelle coïncidence, is the first day that a special election won’t need to be called to replace him. That means his seat will remain empty until after the general election.

WI-8 is R+10 so he’ll probably be replaced by a MAGAt of some stripe. Still, this leaves Johnson with a 4 vote majority, which ain’t a lot.

In other bitter quitter news, Ken Buck added another notch on his “fuck you guys” belt by signing the discharge petition to bring Ukranian aid to the House floor. As I’ve written here earlier, Buck put a big torpedo into the side of Lauren Boebert’s boat by timing his resignation to require a special election on the same day as the primary in CO-4, the district she chose after evacuating CO-3 due to a strong challenge from Adam Frisch.

Finally, a note about MTG’s petition to replace Johnson:

Greene’s motion is not privileged, meaning it’s unclear if or when it will be brought to the floor for a vote. Greene told reporters after the vote that she has “started the process” of electing a new speaker, but she will not force a vote imminently.

Call me back when she decides to really file it, because there aren’t a lot of folks lining up to be the next speaker, except perhaps completely unelectable crazies like Greene and Gaetz.

Gallagher Raises Middle Finger to Pastor JohnsonPost + Comments (114)

DJT is a Meme Stock

by @heymistermix.com| March 22, 20241:28 pm| 117 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

DJT is a Meme Stock

So if you haven’t been paying attention, and why should you, the shareholders of the Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) that is going to merge with Truth Social to create Trump Media have approved the merger. Immediate loss of share price and shorting ensued:

The price of shares in Digital World Acquisition Corp. fell by as much as 12% Friday morning after the shell company’s shareholders approved amerger with the social media company owned by former President Donald Trump.

DWAC had opened the trading day at $44.20 per share, but tumbled to below $38 at some points after the vote. By noon ET, the share price was down about 3.5% from the open price. […]
A total of 11% of the tradable shares of DWAC are being sold short, FactSet data shows.

Trump, who will own 58% of Trump Media, supposedly just made $3 billion. He can’t sell his shares for 6 months due to a lockup provision, but…

It is possible that the board of directors could vote to allow Trump to sell shares earlier than that. And that board could be stocked with people close to Trump, including his son Donald Trump Jr., former wrestling company executive Linda McMahon and Trump’s former trade representative Robert Lighthizer, according to a list of planned nominees.

This is clearly a pump-and-dump: Truth Social is losing money and has roughly 5 million active users (TikTok has 2 billion, Facebook has 3 billion). The price will almost certainly tank the minute Trump starts selling serious amounts of stock, if not sooner. Just as with his NFTs, steaks, vodka, water and other Trump-branded bullshit, once a little bit of attention is paid and a small amount of the product is sold to gullible rubes, there’s just not a multi-billion-dollar market for his latest scam.

DJT is a Meme StockPost + Comments (117)

Joe Biden Isn’t Just a Good President, He’s Good People

by TaMara| March 22, 202412:55 pm| 61 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

New ad dropped today:

(It’s a little jarring, so maybe turn the volume down before hitting play)

And when you’ve lost Scaramucci, LOL

I’m going to try and get a climate post ready for the weekend, no promises though. And I have another guest recipe post from narya on the value of using weights when baking, of which I’m a huge fan.

This is an open thread

Joe Biden Isn’t Just a Good President, He’s Good PeoplePost + Comments (61)

seaboogie on Thursday Night Open Thread (Nov 7, 2025 @ 1:08am)

Geminid on Thursday Night Open Thread (Nov 7, 2025 @ 12:54am)

Marc on Thursday Night Open Thread (Nov 7, 2025 @ 12:54am)

cain on Thursday Night Open Thread (Nov 7, 2025 @ 12:45am)

cain on Thursday Night Open Thread (Nov 7, 2025 @ 12:43am)

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

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

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

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

The world has changed, and neither one recognizes it.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

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

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Saturday Morning Open Thread: President Biden Has An Omnibus Spending Bill to Sign

Pre-Dawn Open Thread: Are You Ready for the Weekend?…

War for Ukraine Day 758: Russia Bombards Ukrainian Civilian Targets & Infrastructure Again

Russian terror is only possible now because we lack enough air defense systems, because our partners lack the political will to provide them – address by the President

Friday Evening Open Thread: Jared Kushner, Real Estate Dealer

Gallagher Raises Middle Finger to Pastor Johnson

DJT is a Meme Stock

Joe Biden Isn’t Just a Good President, He’s Good People