Balloon Juice - Open Threads Archives

Sunday Morning Open Thread

by Anne Laurie| August 10, 20257:12 am| 120 Comments

This post is in: Immigration, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Space

Summer’s most dazzling meteor shower peaks soon.
This year, a bright moon will dampen viewing at the time of peak early Wednesday morning.

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— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) August 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM

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Faith leaders in Southern California have been supporting immigrant communities during increased arrests and raids.

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— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) August 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM

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President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he loves farmers. His actions, though, are rippling across the agriculture industry as tariffs raise the cost of everything from tractors to fertilizers and squeeze profits for US growers already contending with low crop prices.

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— Bloomberg News (@bloomberg.com) August 9, 2025 at 12:30 AM

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Mexican entrepreneurship knows no limits…
Behold the ICE officer piñata ??

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— Laura Martínez ?? (@miblogestublog.bsky.social) August 7, 2025 at 7:08 PM

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@campaignlegal.org is urging the FEC and congressional ethics czars to investigate House Speaker Mike Johnson, claiming he used campaign funds to foot the bill for a Washington residence he rents from Rep. Darrell Issa. @benjaminweiss.bsky.social www.courthousenews.com/watchdog-say…

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— Courthouse News (@courthousenews.bsky.social) August 8, 2025 at 3:36 PM

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You sure about this, Google?

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— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic.bsky.social) August 8, 2025 at 9:55 PM

Sunday Morning Open ThreadPost + Comments (120)

War for Ukraine Day 1,262: Day 2 of the Current Bout of US Strategic Incoherence

by Adam L Silverman| August 9, 20259:55 pm| 29 Comments

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

After ignoring Trump’s words and insulting & belittling him with my actions every single day of his 2nd presidency, he has finally snapped and punished me with a 1-1 summit on US soil.

— Darth Putin (@darthputinkgb.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 6:48 AM

We are on the third circle of this.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 7:07 PM

It appears that letting a real estate developer with no actual experience doing anything but serve as the President’s extra-special envoy for everything is about as good an idea as it sounds.

When you send a real estate guy to do a diplomat’s job…
unn.ua/en/news/trum…

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 6:07 AM

From Ukrainska Pravda:

US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff may have misrepresented Russia’s position on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine after he met with Vladimir Putin this week.

Source: Bild, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Bild reports that Russia has not abandoned its demand for complete control over Crimea and Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Kherson oblasts prior to any ceasefire, and has only agreed to a “sectoral” ceasefire.

However, in peace proposals leaked to the media Putin appeared willing to discuss a ceasefire after the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces only from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Bild’s sources say this could have been the result of Witkoff misinterpreting what Putin said about a “peaceful withdrawal” from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts: Russia is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from these oblasts, but Witkoff thought the proposal was for Russian troops to withdraw from there.

“Witkoff doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” the German tabloid quotes an anonymous Ukrainian official as saying. According to Bild, it’s an assessment shared by “representatives of the German government”.

And no, this doesn’t make me long for the equally strategically incoherent Jake Sullivan.

President Zelenskyy spent all day consulting with his non-American allies in the UK, the EU, European states, etc trying to come up with a strategy to at least limit the damage. And, of course, President Zelenskyy did the only thing he could do: immediately state clearly and publicly that 1) Ukraine would not be ceding any territory to Russia and 2) Ukraine has to be involved in any negotiated resolution to Russia’s genocidal re-invasion of Ukraine.

CBS News is reporting that:

One senior White House official told CBS News the planning for next Friday’s summit is still fluid, and that it is still possible that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could end up being involved in some way.

This will not happen. Putin has made it clear that he will not meet with Zelenskyy. From DW:

Putin has said a meeting with Zelenskyy is still not on the cards, repeating that the conditions for such talks are far from being met.

His comments came just after Zelenskyy renewed calls for face-to-face talks, but Moscow insists it’s not yet the “final phase” of negotiations.

The conditions are that, at a minimum, Ukraine cedes Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea to Russia and Zelenskyy and his government resign. None of that is going to happen.

All of this is maskirovka. Putin is attempting, through manipulating Trump and his natsec team, to shift the blame to for not negotiating an end to Russia’s genocidal re-invasion of Ukraine and to create strategic time and space. Strategic time and space that Putin will use to keep new sanctions being placed on Russia, as well as to rebuild his capabilities.

Here is what the Russians think of the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting:

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

show full post on front page

The Path to Peace for Ukraine Must Be Determined Together with Ukraine, This Is Fundamental – Address by the President

9 August 2025 – 21:49

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today was an active day of diplomacy. Since the morning, we’ve been coordinating with partners: the United Kingdom, France, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, and Spain. I thank everyone for their clear support.

First and foremost, there must be a just end to the war, and it depends on Russia – it is Russia that must end the war it started.

Second – Ukraine and all partners share the same understanding of the need for a ceasefire, for an end to the killings. Only one actor stands against this – Putin. His only card is the ability to kill, and he is trying to sell the cessation of killings at the highest possible price. It is important that this does not mislead anyone. What is needed is not a pause in the killings, but a real, lasting peace. Not a ceasefire sometime in the future – months from now – but immediately. President Trump told me so, and I fully support it.

Third – I have not yet heard any of our partners express doubts about America’s ability to ensure that the war ends. The President of the United States has the leverage and the determination. Ukraine has supported all of President Trump’s proposals, starting back in February. A ceasefire – all formats have been supported. We have arranged meetings with the Russian side and have ensured they were constructive – we have carried out exchanges and are preparing further ones. There is already greater understanding regarding the lists. We are counting on results.

Likewise, results are needed at the leaders’ level. Dignified results. Results that will save lives, that the world will value, and for which it will be grateful to the leader who delivers them. Contacts with the American side are ongoing almost around the clock – at various levels. We are not making everything public.

Everyone can clearly see Putin’s tactics. He fears sanctions and is doing everything to bail on them. He wants to exchange a pause in the war, in the killings, for the legalization of the occupation of our land – he wants to gain territorial spoils for the second time already.

He was allowed to take Crimea, and this led to the occupation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He did not receive preventive punishment when he amassed a contingent on our borders. This led to the full-scale war and the occupation of even more parts of Ukraine. Now Putin wants to be forgiven for seizing the south of our Kherson region, Zaporizhzhia, the entire territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and Crimea. We will not allow this second attempt to partition Ukraine. Knowing Russia – where there is a second, there will be a third. That is why we stand firm on clear Ukrainian positions.

We must end the war with a dignified peace based on a clear and reliable security architecture. Our partners are ready to help us with this.

I thank all our people who today have shown support, who are fighting for our state, and who are working for Ukraine. I thank every warrior, every citizen of Ukraine who understands that independence is built on dignity. Fear and concessions do not make the life of nations safe. Russia’s desires to rule over Ukrainian territories will remain just desires as long as Ukrainians stand shoulder to shoulder, helping the army and helping the state.

I have just received a report from our team in the United Kingdom – from Andriy Yermak. There have been talks between security representatives of the United States and Europe – Ukraine, the United States – Vice President Vance, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, and Poland. The meeting was constructive. All our messages were conveyed. Our arguments are being heard. The risks are being taken into account. The path to peace for Ukraine must be determined together – and only together – with Ukraine. This is fundamental. And it is important that our joint approaches and shared vision work toward a genuine peace. A consolidated position. A ceasefire. An end to the occupation. An end to the war. I thank everyone who is with us, who is with Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

Georgia:

For the 255th day in a row, the main avenue in Georgia’s capital is blocked. ✅🇬🇪

The illegitimate, pro-Russian, corrupt regime needs to collapse. 60+ political prisoners, including many opposition leaders, need to be freed.

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— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM

#GeorgiaProtests
Day 255

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 1:23 PM

The Baltics:

Baltic leaders criticized pressure on Ukraine to cede territory, warning Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia could be next, Financial Times reports. Estonian FM Tsahkna said changing borders by force threatens global stability and will not be tolerated.
www.ft.com/content/69ab…

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 6:42 AM

The US:

🤡 CNN: Pentagon allowed to reroute weapons built for Ukraine back to US stockpiles

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— Ukrainska Pravda 🇺🇦 (@pravda.ua) August 8, 2025 at 2:42 PM

From Ukrainska Pravda:

CNN has reported that a memo by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, which paused military aid to Ukraine in July, includes a provision that allows the United States to divert certain weapons and equipment intended for Ukraine back into US stockpiles.

Source: CNN, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Four CNN sources familiar with Colby’s memo said one provision permits the Pentagon to return weapons manufactured for Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) to US stockpiles.

The USAI was established by Congress in 2016 to allocate funds for the Pentagon to purchase weapons for Ukraine directly from US defence manufacturers.

Last week, a US Senate committee approved US$800 million for USAI within the Pentagon’s annual budget legislation, known as the National Defense Authorization Act.

“The memo gives DOD [Department of Defense] the authority to take back weapons that were already contracted to Ukraine,” one of the sources told CNN. “That appears to undermine what the president has said the US is doing to get Ukraine to what it needs.”

Colby’s memorandum categorises US stockpiles into three groups – “red”, “yellow” and “green”, The first two categories indicate shortages and require additional approval before export; these include, among others, interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems.

The CNN sources believe the provision concerning USAI in Colby’s memorandum has apparently not yet been implemented.

Colby is a genteel isolationist out of the Koch natsec network. The Koch natsec/foreign policy goal is for the US to withdraw from the world and inward to redirect all those funds to fix domestic problems. The truth/reality is that if the US does this, the Kochs think it will make more funds available for the Kochs to scarf up through tax breaks and deregulation as they oppose more spending to fix domestic problems. More US betrayal is coming.

Back to Ukraine.

Any deal on Ukraine made without Ukraine is destined to fail.

Ukraine’s constitution prohibits territorial concessions, making any agreement to cede land impossible.

1/5

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 10:50 AM

The suggestion that Ukraine would withdraw from the Donetsk region before ceasefire negotiations even begin—as reported by the Wall Street Journal—is absurd. No country would surrender its most fortified territory and then hope an invading force would stop its conquest.

2/5

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 10:50 AM

The funniest part of this proposal is Russia’s supposed promise to pass a law preventing future invasions of Ukraine or Europe. This is a country that has broken every single agreement it has ever made with Ukraine. Do they take us for idiots?

3/5

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 10:50 AM

If these are truly the terms suggested by Witkoff, he is unfit for the job. He is wasting time and promoting Putin’s delusional demands. We are in for another round of pressuring the victim, and it’s a cycle that seems to have no end.

4/5

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 10:50 AM

Because Trump “doesn’t like long waits” and surrender is the fastest way to end the war.

5/5

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 10:50 AM

Latest: Kyiv fears Trump and Putin could cut a deal behind closed doors in Alaska with no Ukrainian voice at the table. Zelensky is rallying EU leaders to unify positions and firm up opposition to any backroom deal that undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty.
www.ft.com/content/69ab…

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— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.ft.com) August 9, 2025 at 10:29 AM

From The Financial Times:

European leaders declared that Ukraine’s border “must not be changed by force” after Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for allies to oppose a peace deal floated by US President Donald Trump that could involve “some swapping of territory”.

In a joint statement, the leaders said “the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.”

The joint statement from the European Commission, France, Italy, the UK, Poland and Finland also said “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine” ahead of a meeting next week between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy has been working to shore up European opposition to any loss of Ukrainian land to Russia after Trump floated the idea of territorial concessions as part of a peace deal.

People close to the Ukrainian president told the Financial Times that he was alarmed by Trump’s decision to hold a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Alaska next week without inviting Ukraine to participate.

The prospect of Trump and Putin discussing the war behind closed doors, without Ukrainian representation, has raised deep concerns in Kyiv that the future of Ukraine could be negotiated over its head.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy rallied European leaders to oppose any backroom deal that could compromise Ukraine’s territorial integrity. His efforts came as officials from the US, Europe and Ukraine met in the UK.

Late on Saturday, the European leaders released a joint statement calling for “robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity”. It added that “we remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force”.

Zelenskyy and his advisers are trying to persuade Trump and his team to adopt what one official called a more “rational” approach to Putin’s maximalist demands.

There is particular anxiety that Trump could seek a quick resolution to the war by offering Putin territorial concessions, legitimising its illegal annexation of Crimea and occupation of huge parts of four mainland regions of Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

On Saturday Ukrainian officials were adamant that the US president did not have the legal or political power to order Ukraine to hand over land. Even if Trump wanted to cut a deal, “nobody here in Ukraine has a legal way to give up territories”, an the official added.

In an address to the nation on Saturday morning, Zelenskyy rejected Trump’s suggestion that a peace deal with Russia could involve “some swapping of territories”, insisting that Ukrainians “will not gift their land to the occupier”.

“The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question is already in the constitution in Ukraine,” he said. “No one will deviate from this — and no one will be able to.”

Much more at the link.

The outlet also reports the proposal sets a ceasefire as a prerequisite for any further steps. Any territorial “exchange” must be mutual—if Ukraine withdraws from some regions, Russia must withdraw from others.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM

Any concessions by Kyiv must be backed by ironclad security guarantees, including potential NATO membership. The plan aims to establish a joint red line for future talks with Russia.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM

The proposal was presented at a national security advisers’ meeting attended by US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM

European officials told the US that Ukraine’s future cannot be discussed without Kyiv and that Europe will continue to provide weapons and funds regardless of the US position.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM

I realize that President Zelenskyy and his European allies have to go through the motions of reaching out and appealing to Trump and his natsec team to change course, but neither Trump nor his team care about their counterproposal because they don’t actually care about Ukraine. Ukraine and it’s non-US allies and partners need to have a strategy to go forward with a hostile Trump and the US government he controls.

Trump and his natsec team can make it more difficult for Ukraine to defend itself from Putin’s and Russia’s genocidal re-invasion. They can cut off supplying/resupplying weapons systems, weapons, and munitions and turn off the intelligence support. Trump and his natsec team has now done both over the past seven months and, as I remarked on above, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy is setting the conditions to do so again.

The only way that Trump and his natsec team can actually stop Ukraine from continuing to defend itself against Putin’s and Russia’s genocidal re-invasion would be to enter the war on Russia’s behalf. This would be the reverse of what the US could have and should have done on Ukraine’s behalf in the first ninety days of the war. Which would have reduced Russia’s military, destroyed Putin’s capabilities to threaten anyone in any way other than through cyberwarfare, influence operations, and wetwork. Biden and his team were unwilling to do that because they were scared and weak. Now we have to be concerned that Trump and his team will do the opposite.

First documented destruction of the North Korean 140mm mortar as well as destruction of two North Korean Type 75 MLRS.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 5:23 PM

Kherson:

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

In Kherson’s suburbs today, a russian drone hit a civilian bus, killing two people and injuring 16.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 5:27 AM

ALL CLEAR!!

Kharkiv:

Russian drone struck a furniture store in Kharkiv earlier today.

Why? What did it gain them? Nothing but terror.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 11:45 AM

The Vovchansk axis, Kharkiv Oblast:

Ukrainian strike drones from the Forpost Brigade continue to destroy Russian positions, equipment, and personnel on the Vovchansk axis in Kharkiv region. Recent footage from the State Border Guard Service shows hits on enemy bunkers, vehicles, and troops.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 3:35 AM

Pokrovsk:

🇺🇦🦾 One Ukrainian assault trooper captures four russian soldiers during a sweep of the landing zone near Pokrovsk.
Glory to our heroes!

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 3:53 PM

On the Pokrovsk axis, drone pilots from the Central NGU unit destroyed a Russian Grad multiple rocket launcher with a precise strike, the National Guard of Ukraine reports.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 9:45 AM

The Lyman front:

Ukrainian drone operators from the 2nd Battalion of the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade on the Lyman front used ramming tactics to down Russian Mavic drones while keeping their own UAVs operational.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 1:25 PM

Sumy Oblast:

Ukrainian troops from the 47th Separate Engineer Brigade share footage of building protective “anti-drone tunnels” on the Sumy border.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 7:35 AM

Russian troops proudly display the looting of Ukrainian homes in recently occupied areas of Sumy region.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 11:29 AM

Saratov, Russia:

Saratov, Russia. Local news says it’s an oil refinery on fire. I think it’s a portal to hell🔥🔥🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM

Saratov is having a wild Saturday night 🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 8:40 PM

Tatarstan, Russia:

Good drones struck “Shahed” UAVs storage terminal in Tatarstan, Russia 💥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 8:47 AM

This morning, long-range drones from the SBU’s Special Operations Center “A” struck a logistics hub storing Shahed drones and foreign components in Kzyl-Yul, Tatarstan. The facility, about 1,300 km from Ukraine, was hit directly, causing a fire, according to the SBU.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 6:28 AM

🇺🇦🕊 This morning, SBU drones struck a logistics hub where ready-to-use Shaheds drones and foreign components for them are stored. This warehouse is located in Kzyl-Yul, Republic of Tatarstan.
The distance from Ukraine to the strike point is about 1,300 kilometers.

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 9:16 AM

🔥🦾 The SBU continues its consistent work behind enemy lines. The warehouses where the enemy stores the Shaheds it uses to terrorize Ukraine every night are one of the legitimate military targets. Each such successful special operation reduces the enemy’s ability to wage war against Ukraine.

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 9:16 AM

St. Petersburg, Russia:

Today, the Russian Navy tugboat Kapitan Ushakov, which is still under construction in St. Petersburg, developed a list and ultimately sank after one of its compartments flooded. August 9, 2025.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 7:17 AM

/2. Russian Navy tugboat Kapitan Ushakov when it was still afloat

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 7:20 AM

Bashkortostan, Russia:

An explosion at the BSK plant, linked to Putin associate Rotenberg, left 38 injured, including 14 in serious condition. The blast in a vinyl chloride unit caused a chlorine leak toward the city, but officials say there is no threat to residents.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 9:28 AM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

A new Patron video!

@patron__dsns

😔🛁🚿 #песпатрон

♬ original sound – Clipse ✟

Open thread!

War for Ukraine Day 1,262: Day 2 of the Current Bout of US Strategic IncoherencePost + Comments (29)

A Day Later and I’m Still Furious About This

by WaterGirl| August 9, 20259:00 pm| 85 Comments

This post is in: Bad Faith Actors, Breathtaking Corruption, Fuckery, Grieving for Our Country, Open Threads, Today in Republican Corruption, Today’s Fresh Hell

Someone posted a twitter link to this yesterday, but I didn’t want to link to shitter, so I tracked this down on BlueSky.

Absolutely infuriating!

Pete Hegseth shares a clip saying women shouldn’t have the right to vote, the 19th Amendment should be “repealed,” and women should “submit” to their husbands: “All of Christ for All of Life”

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— People For the American Way (@peoplefor.bsky.social) August 8, 2025 at 10:17 AM

I know this is like tasting something, making a terrible face and then saying, “here, you try it”. Um, no thanks!

But everyone should know that this shit is being said about women – out loud! with no shame! by the current Administration.

It’s really short, maybe less than a minute. Knowledge is power.

A Day Later and I’m Still Furious About ThisPost + Comments (85)

Saturday Night Slap Fights Open Thread: MoDo Turns on Trump

by Anne Laurie| August 9, 20256:30 pm| 127 Comments

This post is in: Media, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Trumpery

President Midas’ Terrible Touch www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/o…

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— Elizabeth West (@limeylizzie.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 5:46 PM

Who else is old enough to remember ‘He trashed the place, and it wasn’t his place’?

Guess Maureen Dowd has decided to claim Sally Quinn’s mantel:

… Real power doesn’t need to shout. In fact, it can whisper.

But Donald Trump was shouting down to reporters on Tuesday as he surveyed his desecration from the White House roof. He looked at his Brutalist Rose Garden renovation, a stone slab with Florida-esque patio furniture and the site of the proposed $200 million ballroom, encroaching on the East Wing and encompassing 90,000 square feet, nearly twice the size of the White House residence.

Trump vowed to pay for the ballroom with private funds, which means, of course, that someone else will curry favor and pay…

Ever since he escaped what he considered a drab existence in Queens, Trump has bedazzled his life — everything from tweezers to seatbelts to TV remotes were gilt. Even as president, he’s selling gold sneakers, gold watches and gold phones.

Now he has tarted up the Oval; it’s the modern version of worshiping the golden calf and just as profane.

Trump’s tacky rococo gold adornments are growing exponentially. He’s piling on more and more garish features — from cherubs to mantelpiece swirls — and sycophants add to the gold rush by bringing offerings to truckle to King Midas….

Trump is making the Justice Department a wholly owned subsidiary of Trump Inc., turning the F.B.I. into his personal, political police force, pursuing his foes with a Javert-like fever. Justice is investigating Letitia James and Adam Schiff, and another agency is investigating Jack Smith. After Democratic legislators left Texas to block Trump’s gerrymandering power grab there, and after Trump said the F.B.I. “may have to” get involved, a Republican senator from Texas said the bureau agreed to help locate the lawmakers. Trump sent his former lawyer, now deputy attorney general, to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, who was then summarily transferred to Club Fed amid whispers of a possible pardon. Brian Driscoll, who briefly served as acting head of the F.B.I., was dismissed because he tried to protect agents from Trump’s purge of anyone involved in investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. This, even as Jared Wise, a rioter who egged on the mob that day to “kill” the police, has been named an adviser to the Justice Department task force seeking vengeance against Trump’s perceived political foes. Trump slapped Brazil with a 50 percent tariff because the government is prosecuting his far-right buddy Jair Bolsonaro, known as “the Trump of the tropics,” for trying to overturn the election he lost.

The president’s unbridled gilt reflects his unbridled greed.

King Midas of legend paid for his vanity. He was horrified that he could not control the golden touch. He turned his daughter, his food and his drink into gold. Aristotle said his “vain prayer” led to starvation.

It is a lesson Trump will never learn: The flashiest is never the truest.

Corrupt, criminal, destructive… hey, leaders are privileged. But tacky?!? Anathema!

As long as Our Very Serious Mainstream Media has [finally] decided to cut Don TACO loose, I won’t quibble about their reasons.

Saturday Night Slap Fights Open Thread: MoDo Turns on TrumpPost + Comments (127)

Doing the Math in My Head, Sitting at a Stoplight (Open Thread)

by WaterGirl| August 9, 20251:39 pm| 70 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Targeted Political Fundraising 2025-26

THIS IS AN OPEN THREAD.

If you’re not interested in the update on Virginia, just skip to the comments.

There’s a traffic light near my favorite grocery store, and the red light seems to take forever to turn green.

So today while stuck at the light I started thinking about Four Directions in Virginia. I was feeling a bit discouraged, but the math made me feel better.

We are now halfway toward our goal for the Native vote this November!

$6k from the raffle and auction. $12k since we started the regular donations. That’s $18,000 – half of the $36,000 we want to raise for them directly.

But that $18,000 is already $38,000 because they found someone to match $10k of that with $20k.

It will take another $18k in our thermometer to get us to our goal. And when we get there, the person they found to match our final $20k will add their $20k. Together, that will be another $36,000.

All together, that will be $76,000 for the Native vote in November.

I am proud to say that most of the groups we support pay a living wage to the folks who do the work on the ground, and $25 is pretty standard, so I’ll use that for the math here.

The math in my head while sitting at the light:

$76,000. Divide that by $100 and you get 760. 25 goes into $100 4 times. 760 rounds to 750, and 750 * 2 is roughly 1,500. multiply by 2 again and that’s 3,000.

That’s 3,000 hours of direct contact with Native voters.

That’s assuming we raise the remaining $18k so they can get the external match.

Otherwise, we’ll be funding 1,500 of direct contact with Native voters, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Can we do this?

We don’t have any Angels in the wings, but we do have an external match! So whatever amount you donate through the thermometer is matched.

If we have another Angel at some point, you’ll have to let us know in the comments or by email in order to get the Angel match. But for now, whatever goes into the thermometer will be matched by the external donor.

Donate

How much difference to you think 3,000 hours of direct contact can make in the Virginia elections?

I had one more thought while stuck at the stoplight. (See, I told you it was a long one!)

If we can win overwhelmingly in Virginia that will send a message. Maybe some Rs start to feel queasy and they don’t vote for some other hideous, harmful thing. Maybe the administration gets scared and doesn’t implement some hideous plan they are concocting.

With an overwhelming victory in Virginia, I think actual lives will be saved.

Maybe I’m crazy, but I truly believe that, and that helps keep me going.

What keeps you guys going?

Doing the Math in My Head, Sitting at a Stoplight (Open Thread)Post + Comments (70)

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Compare & Contrast

by Anne Laurie| August 9, 20255:09 am| 244 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Venality

Last week, I told you about my new book, 107 Days — a behind-the-scenes, candid, and personal account of my time leading the shortest presidential campaign in modern history.
Now, here's a behind-the-scenes look at announcement week.

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— Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris.com) August 8, 2025 at 2:40 PM

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60 years after the Voting Rights Act, voter suppression is still targeting our communities.
That’s why I introduced the SWIFT VOTE Act and the POLL Act. These bills cut the lines, expose the delays, and give folks real power to fight back when states play games with our right to vote.

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— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@crockett.house.gov) August 8, 2025 at 3:38 PM

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Yet another helpful explainer to counter the ignorant disinformation spouted by the unqualified extremist who is currently destroying the HHS

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— Katie Mack (@astrokatie.com) August 7, 2025 at 7:47 AM

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JD Vance = Just Does Vacay.

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— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) August 8, 2025 at 11:52 AM

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Take the human chess game from History of the World Part One, replace it with Battleship, the pips are giant golden dicks and you're calling out coordinates to where you think Trump buried the Epstein Files.

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— Zeddy (@zeddary.bsky.social) August 8, 2025 at 9:43 AM

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Compare & ContrastPost + Comments (244)

Late Night Open Thread: ‘Palace’ Intrigue

by Anne Laurie| August 9, 20251:17 am| 30 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Republicans in Disarray!, Trump Crime Cartel, Lock Him Up...Lock Them All Up

BREAKING: A White House meeting took place last night to discuss the Jeffrey Epstein case, sources tell NBC News.
It's unclear if the president attended, but AG Bondi and FBI Director Patel were present. The president and vice president had previously denied reports of a planned meeting.

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— MSNBC (@msnbc.com) August 7, 2025 at 2:50 PM

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Per the Daily Beast, “White House Did Have Secret Talks on Epstein Crisis”:

… The meeting was reportedly relocated from Vance’s D.C. home to the White House. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were also in attendance, according to MSNBC.

It’s unclear whether the talks included Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who were initially reported to be joining the dinner at the vice president’s Naval Observatory mansion.

Vance’s supposed involvement in the talks had drawn criticism. Ever since Watergate, the Justice Department has kept criminal investigations separate from White House influence, to prevent any appearance of political interference.

The meeting’s last-minute relocation, MSNBC legal correspondent Lisa Rubin suggested, was designed to throw off watchful eyes…

The administration appears to be seeking ways to quell MAGA outrage over its handling of the Epstein files, and to redirect attention from the growing spotlight on Trump’s past friendship with the disgraced financier…

One tactic the administration has considered, as it looks for ways to deflect scrutiny, is releasing an audio recording and transcript from Blanche’s interview with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, CNN previously reported, citing two administration officials. Another involved getting Blanche into an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, according to the report…

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Russia, India, semi-conductors, Mamdani…I don’t think any of it is Trump trying to distract us from the Epstein files. I think it’s his staff giving him crazy shit to do to distract Trump from the Epstein files.

— Dana Houle (@danahoule.bsky.social) August 6, 2025 at 6:00 PM

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William Kristol, at the Bulwark — “Dinner Is Off. The Scheming Continues”:

… I don’t think we ever had, at one time, the White House chief of staff, the attorney general, the deputy attorney general, and the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

That was to be the A-list dinner Vance hosted last night, with Susie Wiles, Pam Bondi, Todd Blanche, Kash Patel, and others assembled to decide how to handle Donald Trump’s Jeffrey Epstein problem. Multiple outlets reported that the event was scheduled to happen…

But if the files are harmless or meaningless, why not just release them (obviously with survivors’ names and personally identifiable information redacted)?

Well, because, as Trump explained earlier in the week, he’s concerned about not embarrassing people who haven’t done anything wrong. He doesn’t mean the victims, of course; he’s never expressed any concern about them. Trump’’s worried, he said, about those people who might be mentioned but “aren’t involved” and who could “be hurt by something that would be very, very unfortunate, very unfair to a lot of people.”

This excuse is, to quote the president of the United States, “total bullshit.” The names of many of the big shots who associated with Epstein, but who claim not to have been involved in or aware of his sex trafficking, are already out there. If the files mention those people once again, and they were simply innocent guests, associates, or bystanders on the fringes of Epstein’s dark world, they’ll have no problem explaining that. They’ve done it before.

It won’t be so easy for the ones who weren’t simply innocent bystanders…

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It’s worth recalling that after reviewing the files, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel ordered FBI agents to black out every mention of Trump, according to Bloomberg News. Why did they do that? After all, if Trump only pops up occasionally in the files as an innocent bystander, or as a subject of third-party hearsay with no supporting or corroborating evidence, why the need to blackout the mentions? If Trump did nothing “concerning” while spending time with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein—as Ghislaine Maxwell is reported to have told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche before being moved to a far nicer federal prison facility—then what’s the problem? Why not just release the files, let Trump debunk whatever unverified suggestions may be in there, and avoid accusations of a coverup?

Perhaps because the files tell us more about the Trump-Epstein relationship? Perhaps because they suggest Trump has something to hide?…

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…”There is the implicit threat that if you go at the Epstein issue too aggressively, you could lose access or not have your calls returned.” www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol…

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— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24.bsky.social) August 5, 2025 at 9:11 AM

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Parnas filed a report ahead of the weekend called, "Trump’s Team Scrambles to muzzle Dan Bongino." In the essay, he argues, "It wasn’t just about Epstein. It was about stopping Bongino from going rogue."

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— Landry Corkery 💙🌈 🇩🇰 🇵🇦 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇲 🇺🇦 (@landry76.bsky.social) August 8, 2025 at 6:03 PM

For what it’s worth, Lev Parnas, at his SubStack, Lev Remembers:

… They talk about the dinner. They talk about the people who were supposed to be there. They talk about what was likely discussed. But not a single outlet, not one reporter, is talking about the name that wasn’t there. The name that matters most.

Dan Bongino.

Because what I’m telling you now, is that this dinner—this meeting Todd Blanche was supposed to lead at J.D. Vance’s residence—was never just about Epstein. It was about Dan. About bringing him to heel. About getting him in line. And when that dinner got exposed and canceled, the conversation didn’t go away. It just moved behind closed doors.

According to my sources, that conversation happened yesterday at the White House. Kash Patel sat down with Pam Bondi in private. The topic? Bongino. The rift. The refusal. The threat.

Because since July 6th—when Bondi’s now-infamous memo claimed there was no Epstein “client list,” and that no further prosecutions would take place—Bongino hasn’t been on board. He’s stayed quiet. No statements. No tweets. No Fox hits. Just silence.

What they’ve done is try to paper over the cracks. Just like Trump always does. He put a band-aid on it. He called Bongino. We don’t know if he begged him, threatened him, promised him something—but whatever he said, Bongino stayed. Physically. On paper. But not in spirit. Not on the train…

You have to understand who Bongino is and why he’s dangerous to them now.

He built his name on Epstein. His podcast empire, his MAGA loyalty badge, his entire right-wing career was staked on exposing Epstein’s global sex trafficking, and claiming to speak hard truths that the media was afraid to touch. He made Epstein his brand. And now, standing inside the halls of power as the Deputy Director of the FBI, he’s being told to shut up. To forget what he said. To fall in line with a story he knows is a lie.

He didn’t come from the Bureau. He came from right-wing media. From Infowars to Rumble to Fox, Bongino was Trump’s mouthpiece long before he wore a badge. But that also means he’s built a platform outside of Trump’s control. He doesn’t need Trump anymore to stay relevant. And that makes him a threat.

The one man with the files, the reach, and the voice to blow it wide open… is sitting inside the FBI, silent.

That’s why they’re panicking. That’s why the dinner mattered. That’s why Bondi and Patel sat down behind closed doors yesterday and talked about how to rein Bongino in.

But let me be very clear: Bongino is not in line. He never was. Trump may have patched things up on the surface, but what’s simmering underneath is real. And it’s dangerous. Not for us—but for them.

Because if Dan Bongino breaks ranks, if he walks, if he decides to go public, this won’t just be a scandal—it’ll be the collapse of the entire Epstein cover-up. And they know it…

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So, just like Russia in 2016, he’s guilty as hell.

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— Clean Observer (@hammbear2024.bsky.social) August 6, 2025 at 7:01 PM

Late Night Open Thread: ‘Palace’ IntriguePost + Comments (30)

A fool as well as an oath-breaker.

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

The revolution will be supervised.

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

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

To the privileged, equality seems like oppression.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

T R E 4 5 O N

The words do not have to be perfect.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

The world has changed, and neither one recognizes it.

Second rate reporter says what?

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.