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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

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

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

I really should read my own blog.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

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

The words do not have to be perfect.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

I don’t recall signing up for living in a dystopian sci-fi novel.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

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

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

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

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

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

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

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

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Open Thread:  Hey Lurkers!  (Holiday Post)

Open Threads

You are here: Home / Archives for Open Threads

Sunday Morning Open Thread

by Anne Laurie|  August 3, 20257:55 am| 88 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Venality, Show Us on the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You

What a Republican majority looks like in action

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— Chatham Harrison dba TRUMP DELENDUS EST (@chathamharrison.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 2:54 PM

===

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has long helped pay for PBS, NPR and 1,500 local radio and television stations and programs like “Sesame Street.

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— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) August 2, 2025 at 7:00 PM

===

More fireflies than usual are lighting up summer evenings in the U.S. Northeast. But scientists say the lightning bugs are still on the decline.

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— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) August 2, 2025 at 9:15 AM

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"There may not be as much humanity in the world as one would like to see, but there is some. There's more than one would think."
Happy 101st birthday to #JamesBaldwin!
#OnThisDay #BlackHistory #humanity

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— Stefan Bohacek (@stefanbohacek.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 12:12 PM

Sunday Morning Open ThreadPost + Comments (88)

Saturday Night Music Thread

by WaterGirl|  August 2, 202511:01 pm| 104 Comments

This post is in: Music, Open Threads

Wooden Ships is one of my all-time favorite songs.

There’s an original and a remaster, and they have clearly worked on the cover artwork, which looks richer in the remaster  It seems like we are supposed to think that remasters are better, but any thoughts on which is actually better?   Not specifically asking about this particular song, but generally speaking.  I’ll be curious to see whether there is agreement on the answer.

Or just share your all-time favorite songs, and ignore the remaster question!

x

Open thread.

Saturday Night Music ThreadPost + Comments (104)

War for Ukraine Day 1,255: The Cost

by Adam L Silverman|  August 2, 202510:40 pm| 8 Comments

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

A painting by Ukrainian artist NEIVANMADE. The words "NEVER AGAIN" are repeated over and over, from left to right and top to bottom, in a faded, washed out black against a white background. Red, the color of blood, runs and drips down across 2/3rds of the painting. "WHILE YOU TOLERATE TYRANTS" is written/painted in the bottom white corner below the three rows of "NEVER AGAIN".

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Just a quick note: Rosie had her monthly post-chemo appointment today. She’s still doing great. Thank you all again for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and the donations last year to help cover her chemo.

The air raid alerts are beginning to go back up across wester, southern, northern, and central Ukraine at 4:35 AM local time/9:35 PM EDT. This follows a day where the Russians had already hammered Ukrainian civilian targets with missiles, glide bombs, and drone swarms.

The Ukrainians also went on the front foot today attacking multiple dual use targets in Russia. Dual use refers to facilities – buildings, factories, roads, railways, etc – that have both civilian and military usage and, when used for military purposes, become legitimate targets.

The most effective oil sanctions are enforced not by the price cap. #armukrainenow #ukrainianview

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 6:31 AM

The cost:

On July 31st, a Russian missile strike on Kyiv killed Mykyta, Sofiia, and their two-year-old son.

Both Mykyta and Sofiia were only 23 years old. They had moved from Sloviansk to the capital after the start of the full-scale invasion and were renting an apartment.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 12:45 PM

The Russian missile hit their building, their bodies were found under the rubble a day later.

War found them. Russia found them and killed them.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 12:45 PM

Family that fled war twice did not survive Kyiv bombing

The story of this family is one of thousands, yet it is uniquely painful. They fled the war in the Donbas region, and later from Kharkiv, seeking a safe haven in the capital. But on the night of July 31st, Kyiv also became a target.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 12:49 PM

Russia launched another massive combined missile and drone strike, killing 31 people. Among them were Iryna Humeniuk and her two daughters: Anastasiia, a ninth-grader, and Alina, who had just finished sixth grade.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 12:49 PM

They did not make it to a shelter in time. The life they had started over twice was cut short in a city where they had hoped to finally find peace.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 12:49 PM

Russian drone attacks killed and injured civilians today: one child dead and another wounded in Sumy region, a tractor driver killed near Raiske in Donetsk, and a six-year-old girl injured in a car hit in Kharkiv region, regional prosecutors report.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 1:04 PM

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

show full post on front page

Russia Is Dragging Out the War, so It Will Receive Just Responses – Address by the President

2 August 2025 – 20:52

Dear Ukrainians!

Briefly about today. This morning, decrees were issued expressing our nation’s gratitude to those who are doing – and have done – everything to defend Ukraine, our people, and a normal life.

Journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna was awarded the Order of Freedom – tragically, posthumously. For many, she embodied freedom itself, and it is very important that she is remembered now – remembered by everyone, remembered by Ukrainian journalists and by many caring people. Eternal memory to her!

I also conferred the title of Hero of Ukraine on our warriors: Lieutenant Colonels Roman Onopriicha and Mykola Shevchuk – these are guys from the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Guard – as well as Colonel Oleh Myronenko, also a National Guard serviceman.

And I awarded Crosses of Military Merit to three more warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – very tough guys. They are warriors from the 5th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade: soldiers Yevhen Netesanyi and Oleksandr Kurtse, and Sergeant Volodymyr Huzenko. These guys showed extraordinary bravery and exceptional resilience in combat in the Donetsk region – in the Pokrovsk district, at positions in Andriivka. We are proud of such warriors of ours.

Today, I also met with our Ukrainian champion and true legend of Ukraine, Oleksandr Usyk. I thanked him for the victories he achieved for Ukraine and Ukrainians, for the motivation he gives us, and for the Ukrainian spirit that manifests itself to the world. Oleksandr and I agreed that he will also support Ukraine on the international track – in our relations with the United States of America. Ukraine must be heard at all levels. And Ukrainian strength is certainly being heard. We also discussed the development of sports infrastructure and the promotion of physical activity among young Ukrainians. We will implement everything.

Today, I also met with the heads of NABU and SAPO – Semen Kryvonos and Oleksandr Klymenko. Anti-corruption agencies have exposed a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, along with heads of district and city administrations and National Guard servicemembers, for bribery. Unfortunately, these corruption schemes involved the procurement of electronic warfare systems and FPV drones. This is absolutely immoral. There must be full and fair accountability for this.

I thanked the heads of the anti-corruption agencies for their work – for such exposures. And I want to thank them for their teamwork. NABU and SAPO have every opportunity to operate effectively. We are counting on fair verdicts.

Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko also reported today. An internal investigation is already underway in the National Guard. I expect serious results. Only combat officers will hold leadership positions in all logistics units of the National Guard. I have instructed the Minister to publicly present all the details of these changes.

Today, I also received a report from the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk. I want to express my gratitude for our special long-range operations on Russian territory. Their impact is significant. And each of them is tangible for the enemy, and our operations will continue – Russia is dragging out the war, so it will receive just responses.

There were also relevant operations by the Security Service of Ukraine this week against those who weaken our defense. A particularly serious Russian agent embedded in the Air Force was exposed, as well as a former official of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry who tried to profit from the procurement of food supplies for our army.

All our law enforcement agencies – and everyone who holds a position tasked with protecting our state and our people – all must deliver results for Ukraine. For all of us. For our Ukraine’s resilience. For justice in Ukraine. For the defense of Ukraine. And the protection of all of us, our people.

Glory to Ukraine!

Georgia:

For the 248th day in a row, Rustaveli Avenue is blocked in Georgia. ✔️🇬🇪

Protests continue in 8+ cities. ✊

Freedom to political prisoners. Down with the Russian regime.

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— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 2:05 PM

People have gathered in Batumi to reject what they believe to be the sham local elections in October.

This is the second such march announced by the 8-party alliance that do not cooperate with the regime.

The Tbilisi one on July 19 was a huge success.

#GeorgiaProtests Day 248.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 1:03 PM

At the same time, protest was held in Tbilisi too.

#GeorgiaProtests
Day 248

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:55 PM

Regime prisoner families distributed “Cell 101 – Revolution” newspaper by prisoners at the so-called Hopa Bazaar in Batumi.

Day 248 of #GeorgiaProtests

📷 @mariamnikuradze.bsky.social

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 12:59 PM

🟥 Batumi, Aug 2 – On day 248 of #GeorgiaProtests, a European March is underway.
🟥 Slogans: “Only free elections!” “No to the Russian op!”
🟥 Marchers include activists, families of political prisoners, 8 opposition parties, and citizens.

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— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) August 2, 2025 at 1:38 PM

Nino Datashvili, a Georgian schoolteacher imprisoned for resisting court bailiffs, is now being forced to undergo psychiatric evaluation.

The basis? A 2019 medical document noting that Nino has spinal injury—and that she occasionally experienced emotional instability (like crying or sadness).

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— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 9:24 AM

This document wasn’t enough to release her from pre-trial detention. It wasn’t enough to secure her the medical treatment she’d been denied for weeks.

But it is enough to justify 20 days of forced psychiatric evaluation. Nino faces transfer to Khoni Hospital—a place widely described as a nightmare.

— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 9:24 AM

Her friends say prosecutors surfaced the document exactly when they needed a reason to keep her locked up.

This is about silencing and discrediting her. Pro-government TV channels like Imedi and PostTV have already begun smear campaigns. Georgian Dream is using the Soviet playbook.

— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 9:25 AM

🚨 1/ According to the lawyers of detained lawyer Nino Datashvili, the court granted the Prosecutor’s baseless motion to subject her to a psychiatric evaluation. If Datashvili refuses, coercive measures are also envisaged.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM

2/ Tamar Gabodze, Datashvili’s lawyer said: “The Prosecutor’s Office requested a mental competency evaluation for Nino Datashvili without any objective grounds or legal criteria”

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM

3/ “The court granted the motion and denied Nino the right to participate in the hearing, as she had no information about what was being considered against her”.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM

4/ “The court stated that if Nino opposes the evaluation, proportionate coercive measures should be used — essentially authorising her involuntary transfer to a psychiatric facility”.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM

5/ Gabodze also noted that the Prosecutor’s motion was based on medical records submitted by the defense itself, which clearly state that Nino Datashvili was experiencing heightened emotions and crying due to her difficult physical condition — a spinal injury.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM

6/ “These were symptoms accompanying her physical state, not indicators of any mental health diagnosis. The Prosecutor’s Office, however, used these records to file an unfounded motion, aiming both to discredit Nino Datashvili and to keep her in pretrial detention,” Gabodze said.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM

7/ On June 21, Judge Eka Barbakadze ordered pretrial detention for Nino Datashvili, a civic education teacher charged with assaulting a public official—a crime punishable by a fine or 4 to 7 years in prison.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM

8/ The charges stem from a June 9 incident at Tbilisi City Court, where Datashvili attempted to approach courtroom No. 1 during a hearing for detained pro-European protesters.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM

9/ After a bailiff blocked her, a verbal and physical altercation followed. Video footage shows Datashvili sitting on a windows ill in protest before being forcibly removed.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM

The footage. Nino being dragged by the court security.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 8:38 AM

On Aug 1, Mzia Amaglobeli’s defense gave a 9+ hour closing statement in Batumi Court — ordered to finish in one day.

International counsel of Mzia, @caoilfhionn.bsky.social said: “The world gotta to be watching what is happening here, in Batumi.”

#FreeMzia
#JournalismIsNotACrime

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— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) August 2, 2025 at 10:42 AM

The regime searched the home of a Georgian fighter in Ukraine who had just recently returned back. He had previously served in the Georgian military.

The regime, as a true Russian-installed puppet, is very much afraid of Georgian fighters in Ukraine.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 10:14 AM

Back to Ukraine.

I’m happy to report that Ukrainian strikes are moving faster than our team’s geolocation and analysis can keep up with! We’re taking a day off to catch our breath, then we’ll dive into a thorough review of all the latest impacts. Thanks for your patience and donations

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— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 5:49 AM

Kill marks for downed aerial targets spotted on the Mi-24 helicopter of Ukraine’s Air Force.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 2:00 PM

Azov Brigade medic Volodymyr Ryzhenko “Sprite” was named Europe’s best military medic at the Combat Medical Care Conference 2025 in Germany for saving a comrade’s life with a drone-delivered blood transfusion.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 1:57 PM

Russia is investing $1.1 trillion in a massive rearmament program to be ready for war with NATO by 2030, says HUR chief Budanov. He warns the consequences of this war will last for years, and if current US policy continues, NATO’s collapse is “a likely scenario.”

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 5:46 AM

Even if Russian ruler Vladimir Putin departs office, Russia’s war machine will remain intact, said Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov

He emphasized that any Putin’s successor will operate within the same paradigm
euromaidanpress.com/2025/08/02/r…

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— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 12:08 PM

From EuroMaidan Press:

Russia will maintain stability even as its president’s health declines. Even if Vladimir Putin leaves office, Russia’s power structure will not undergo significant changes because it is built as a strong system ensuring regime continuity, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence chief, told TV presenter Natalia Moseichuk.

This means that the Kremlin’s political and military strategy will remain unchanged, and the war in Ukraine and threats to Europe and other countries will also persist.

Budanov said that Putin’s physical condition is significantly worse than the power system he created.

“No, his health is worse than his system. But with the leader’s departure, nothing will change there,” Budanov explained.

He added that Russia has prepared the system so that Putin’s successor, whoever it may be, will operate within the same paradigm with only minor adjustments.

Budanov emphasized that Russia’s system is a rigid and entrenched regime, similar to North Korea’s, where power transfers occur within a strict structure that prevents evolutionary change.

“A totalitarian regime falls but does not change gradually,” he said, citing Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Un as examples of such system durability and strength.

Budanov also noted that in talks with Russian prisoners, he saw a generation of people who cannot imagine life other than under Putin’s regime. They grew up and live within this system, and many have already died for it.

“For us, unfortunately, this means the system is quite strong and will last a long time,” he concluded.

The technical term for this phenomenon is differential social organization, which I’ve written about here in the past. We see it in Hungary, Turkey, Israel, and we’re beginning to see it in the US as a result of Trump and the MAGA movement. The longer these leaders of revanchist illiberal movements seeking to impose, or, as in the case of Putin, Orban, Erdogan, and Bibi actually having imposed, illiberal managed democracies remain in power, the worse the socially learned differential social organization becomes. We are at least a decade into the Trump/MAGA movement, perhaps almost fifteen years if you start counting when Trump begins going after Obama’s citizenship. The negative effects will ripple through for decades and decades to come.

Mykolaiv:

Residential area in Mykolaiv is on fire following a russian missile attack!

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 5:33 PM

Kharkiv:

Air defense working ‼️ get that bastard down, guys!

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 6:00 PM

Third explosion in Kharkiv ‼️
Fuck russia ‼️

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 6:05 PM

Kherson:

South of Ukraine is under russian missile attack. Blackout reported in Kherson ‼️

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:20 PM

According to media reports, Russians used guided aerial bombs to destroy a bridge in Kherson that connects Korabel Island with the main part of the city. Bastards bomb and torture Kherson every day, including hunting citizens with drones in their ‘human safari’. Monsters.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 1:27 PM

Footage from the bridge in Kherson shows it heavily damaged, but not fully destroyed—Russian forces failed to bring it down completely. The bridge remains passable.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 1:19 PM

Kyiv:

Fucking ballistic missiles explosions in Kyiv

— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 6:09 PM

All the windows on one side of my daughter’s school (and many on other sides) blown in by blast wave from missile strike that hit nearby apartment block, partially destroying it and killing 28 people on July 31. Many surrounding apartment blocks also suffered broken windows.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 12:38 PM

Druzkhivka, Donetsk Oblast:

Druzhkivka, Saturday, broad daylight when people are out and about! 🤬

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 8:46 AM

Druzhkivka suffered a massive russian drone attack.

At least five people were injured, according to the head of the Donetsk Region Military Administration, Filashkin. Two houses, a market, a store, and an administrative building were damaged, and several cars were destroyed.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 8:36 AM

Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast:

Russian forces have shelled the center of Sloviansk with drones.
“One of the city’s landmarks, the Sloviansk hotel, was damaged. Nearby apartment buildings and a dormitory were also affected,” reported Vadym Liakh, the head of the city’s military administration.
One person was injured.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 8:40 AM

Odesa:

Ukrainian Yak-52 chasing Russian Shahed kamikaze drone. Odesa region, this morning.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 5:25 AM

Malynivka, Donetsk Oblast:

Ukrainian MiG-29 pilots struck Russian positions in Malynivka, Donetsk Oblast, destroying a building with assault troops and an ammo depot using a GBU-62 bomb.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 1:43 PM

Kherson Oblast:

Photos taken a day apart: Ukrainian HUR fighters liberated the village of Zelenyi Hai just one day after it was captured by Russian forces.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 10:41 AM

Melitopol, Russian occupied Donetsk Oblast:

An explosion on the outskirts of occupied Melitopol destroyed a van carrying five “Kadyrovites”—all killed in a joint operation by Ukraine’s HUR and resistance forces. Two more occupiers in a nearby vehicle were wounded, and a mobile EW system was also destroyed.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 7:43 AM

Sochi, Russia:

Something is on fire in russian Sochi 🔥👀

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 8:59 PM

More from russian Sochi🔥👀

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 9:01 PM

Bryansk Oblast, Russia:

The explosion of the Russian bridge in the Bryansk region. The bridge was mined with TM-62 mines and then blown up by a fiber optics FPV drone

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 1:36 PM

Footage shows the destruction of a bridge over the Tsata River in Russia’s Bryansk region by operators of Ukraine’s 1st Territorial Defense Brigade, filmed by both reconnaissance and FPV drones, DroneBomber reports.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 1:14 PM

AASM Hammer air strike on the Russian target in Bryansk region

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 4:03 AM

Krasnodar Oblast, Russia:

SBU confirms drone strike on Russian airbase in Primorsko-Akhtarsk.
Last night, SBU long-range drones targeted the Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
The strike hit locations used to store and launch Shahed drones, which are regularly used in attacks against Ukraine.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 4:08 AM

Samara Oblast, Russia:

Another POV of the morning’s attack on the Russian Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 3:34 AM

Russian ELOU AVT-11 unit was hit in the video of the attack on the Novokuibyshevsk Oil Refinery. It has an oil refining capacity of 6 million tons. (53.0844444, 49.9236111)

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 2:16 AM

Samara, Russia. Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery.
What a torch! 🔥😏🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 1, 2025 at 10:25 PM

HOLY HELL! 💥🔥

Epic explosion in russian Samara, Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 1, 2025 at 10:36 PM

Rostov Oblast, Russia:

Aftermath of a drone attack on railway logistics in Russia’s Rostov region this morning, Exilenova reports. Overnight, Ukraine’s Defense Forces targeted the Likhaya-Zamchalovo traction power substation.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 1:55 PM

Ryazan Oblast, Russia:

Meanwhile, in Russia’s Ryazan, it seems imaginary battles with NATO are underway.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 9:27 AM

Ryazan oil refinery, Russia. 🔥🔥🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 1, 2025 at 10:22 PM

Volgograd Oblast, Russia:

Explosions disabled the Central Asia–Center gas pipeline in Russia’s Volgograd region, Ukrainian media report. The Gazprom-owned pipeline supplies gas to military plants, including Demikhovsky Machine-Building, MiG Corporation, and Magnum-K.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 7:04 AM

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia:

Something is on fire in the area of the Kstovo oil refinery, one of the largest in Russia 👀🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 8:07 PM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

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

“My mother had never seen Afina, but she knew it was her son’s dog. The son will come back – the dog must be returned.”

Mariupol defender Dmytro Seliutin was captured and forced to leave his dog Afina in a bunker at the Illich Iron & Steel Works; otherwise, the dog would have been shot.

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— Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) August 1, 2025 at 5:07 PM

After almost two years in a Russian prison, the marine received a letter from his mother and learned that his dog had been returned to his native Lutsk.

Dmytro’s mother, Nataliia, conducted a real special operation,and after almost a year, Afina was found.The dog traveled 3,000 kilometers to Lutsk

— Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) August 1, 2025 at 5:09 PM

Open thread!

War for Ukraine Day 1,255: The CostPost + Comments (8)

Two Excellent Reads: Luke Farritor, DOGE Demon

by Anne Laurie|  August 2, 20255:25 pm| 65 Comments

This post is in: DOGESHIT, Excellent Links, Grifters Gonna Grift, Trump Crime Cartel

NEW investigation: DOGE-Pilled
The full story on the transformation of 23 year-old Luke Farritor and how he ended up at the Department of Government Efficiency–slashing, dismantling, undoing–wielding a résumé that "didn’t pass muster”
NO PAYWALL!
www.bloomberg.com/features/202…

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— Jason Leopold (@jasonleopold.bsky.social) July 29, 2025 at 11:54 AM

This article, quite rightfully, is getting a lot of attention, and repays reading:

Before he was called a patriot and a traitor for following Elon Musk to Washington to join DOGE; before he was hired by the US government despite a résumé that would have been previously rejected; before he was granted extensive access to sensitive data and invited to brief the country’s vice president; before he met his Twitter heroes in Silicon Valley; before he became a Thiel Fellow, which required him to become a college dropout; before he was celebrated internationally for using AI to help detect passages in a scroll charred by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius; before all of that, Luke Farritor, now 23, was a homeschooled kid in Lincoln, Nebraska, who called himself lukethecoder64…

Farritor was an inquisitive, uncommonly talented and sometimes obsessive young man. He had opportunities. He had people who cared about him, and those people had ideas of what he might achieve. Their ideas had nothing to do with Washington. Maybe Farritor didn’t know that his decision to help the man he so admired try to slash government spending would mean disappearing from his own life, working secretively but appearing in court documents. That it would mean disappointing and angering some, thrilling others. That in trying to solve one problem, he would play a part in creating chaos and distress and fear. Those he knew would not always be spared. His community in Lincoln would be cleaved. Maybe, some in his hometown say, he didn’t know there would be consequences.

Luke Farritor is the eldest of four children, raised in a modest house with an American flag out front and a workshop in the basement. The family posed there for a photo. It’s on his father’s Facebook page. Farritor’s mother, Tracy Slocum Farritor, is a physician who calls herself a patriot. She wanted to create an animated show, Renny & Bo, about America’s history. Michael Medved, the conservative radio host and author, was a special consultant. “I think America is the greatest nation on Earth, and I think it’s OK to teach that,” she said in a Kickstarter video in 2015. “That doesn’t mean we think any less of other people or other countries.” Her campaign fell short. Farritor told friends she was the best person he knew. Second was his father, Shane Farritor, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who, for much of his son’s childhood, was developing a miniature surgical robot with millions of dollars in federal funding. It was launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and tested on the International Space Station last year. In a talk titled “Don’t Measure, Cut Twice,” he said everyone should make something. “Making is a better way of thinking.” At the end, he showed photos of his four kids doing just that…

As Cohort 2020 began their junior year, Farritor interviewed for a semester-long internship at SpaceX—they asked me all about the guitar project, he told Friedman. He had to solve a math problem in a matter of days. He barely left his room. Someone visiting Farritor’s suitemate saw that Farritor had written calculations all over the mirrors. “It could be that the problem demanded that intensity,” the classmate says. “It’s also true that Luke would hyperfixate on a project.” Later, when asked on X about his process for projects, Farritor replied: “There is no process. I just think about them nonstop.”…

When the rocket blasted off, concrete chunks of the launchpad flew in all directions, debris spread for miles and shockwaves shattered at least one window in a nearby town. Minutes later, Starship spun out of control and SpaceX had to blow it up…

 
But I really wish more people were reading J.V. Last’s rebuttal post at the Bulwark, as well [gift link]:

The Boy Genius Who Killed 14 Million Poor People.

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— Radio Free America (@radiofreeameri.ca) August 1, 2025 at 7:44 AM

“What is the moral weight of responsibility for the men who carried out DOGE’s work?”

… Luke Farritor grew up in Nebraska and what struck me most reading the account of his life is the extent of his privilege.

His father is a university professor. His mother is a physician. Farritor seems to have been a child prodigy whose talents were recognized, encouraged, and incubated almost from the moment he hit puberty. He was supported by both his well-to-do family, his community, and a number of institutions that exist to identify and elevate gifted children…

Farritor was homeschooled and by age 15 he was lauded for the art installations he created. He was recruited into the University of Nebraska’s celebrated Raikes School, which is the engineering equivalent of being given a golden ticket. He got an internship at SpaceX and a $100,000 fellowship from Peter Thiel. He won part of the Vesuvius Prize for contributing to the team that decoded a burnt, ancient scroll using AI routines. According the Bloomberg, he had job offers from more or less all of Silicon Valley by the age of 21…

In a certain way, when you look at Luke Farritor’s life you’d say: The system worked. This is everything we hope that our society will do for gifted kids. In a world where we often lament institutional failures in education, Luke Farritor got the best of everything.

And then he decided to burn it all to the ground. Because in December 2024 he joined DOGE…

Look at DOGE and you don’t see an elite strike force that was needed to figure out how to execute an intricate, novel task. You see a bunch of privileged elites who were granted the honor of unthinkingly mashing the delete button as part of the reward system in their clique.

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But then again, maybe that’s the key: Maybe the point of bringing in geniuses like Luke Farritor is that they’d be so smart that they couldn’t understand what they were actually doing?…

When you get down to it, DOGE was a failure. A complete and total failure. Musk and Farritor began by promising that DOGE would cut $2 trillion; by the time Musk walked out DOGE claimed $150 billion in savings—and even that number is unverified and likely inflated. As Trump (supposedly) said: It was all bullshit.

There were only two ways to see DOGE as having succeeded. The first is that it transformed large swaths of the civil service into expressly political operations that could be used as tools of the president, increasing executive power.

The second is that it executed a controlled demolition of two of America’s most important modes of exercising soft power—foreign aid and scientific research…

USAID provided life-saving food and medicine for poor people across the globe. Before January 2025 there had been no—zero, zilch—interest in killing off the agency. It wasn’t something Trump ran on. It wasn’t envisioned in Project 2025. It was only once Elon Musk decided that USAID was evil that destroying the agency became a policy goal for the Republican party.

Now that USAID is gone, people are dying who otherwise would not have. This is a simple fact. How many? Who knows. One epidemiologist says that 300,000 people have already died because USAID cut off services. And maybe that’s right. But maybe the number is only—can you believe we would say “only”?—100,000 or 50,000…

So what are we supposed to do with a man like Luke Farritor?

He is not the product of a broken home or an uncaring system. He is not one of MAGA’s Forgotten Men. He was not discriminated against by DEI. He is young, but he is not that young. In the Army 23-year-old junior officers will lead their platoons into battle.

On TNL I said that Farritor’s actions are within shouting distance of war crimes and maybe that’s going too far. But if so, how would you describe the moral culpability of a man who casually destroys a program that will result in the deaths of millions without even achieving his stated aims of saving money?

Because that seems like more than just a “mistake,” or a “youthful indiscretion,” or a bad choice.

Especially because the final piece of the puzzle is that it is almost certain that Farritor will never face any consequences for his actions. Hell, his professional prospects will probably be improved by his association with Musk and DOGE. The spigots of the red-pilled tech world will be running full-blast for him.

The only form of accountability Luke Farritor will ever face is the moral judgments of his fellow man. And such verdicts are nonbinding, to say the least…

Any military leader will tell you the best soldiers are clever men 18-24 brimming with testosterone but lacking full executive functioning. Naive and ambitious, they take risks and orders readily, aim to please, are intensely competitive, don’t second-guess, and work 12 hour days for pizza and beer.

— mprclntrlst 🏴‍☠️ (@mprclntrlst.bsky.social) July 29, 2025 at 12:03 PM

Two Excellent Reads: Luke Farritor, DOGE DemonPost + Comments (65)

Fill in the blank (Open Thread)

by WaterGirl|  August 2, 202512:50 pm| 109 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

I saw this quote from Marc Elias today:

I do not believe, when it comes to elections, that Democrats should ever engage in any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

I cannot come up with a single word to replace elections that wouldn’t be equally true.   So maybe we just eliminate that entire clause?  That leaves us with:

I do not believe that Democrats should ever engage in any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

That seems right to me!

Open thread.

 

Fill in the blank (Open Thread)Post + Comments (109)

Saturday Morning Open Thread

by Anne Laurie|  August 2, 20256:09 am| 234 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Show Us on the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You

that loud noise you hear is a lot of pundit/media narratives shattering pic.twitter.com/aEf4lEaBQu

— Greg Sargent (@GregTSargent) July 31, 2025

===

Democrats are launching a nationwide summer blitz designed to force vulnerable Republicans to defend President Donald Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill — especially Medicaid cuts that will leave millions of Americans without health care coverage.

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— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) August 1, 2025 at 11:01 AM

Democrats are launching a nationwide summer blitz designed to force vulnerable Republicans to defend President Donald Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill — especially Medicaid cuts that will leave millions of Americans without health care coverage.

Republican leaders in Washington, meanwhile, have encouraged their members to promote more popular aspects of the bill during smaller controlled appearances where GOP officials are less likely to face difficult questions or protests.

The Democratic National Committee’s “Organizing Summer” will feature events in all 50 states, beginning with Alaska, Texas, Colorado and California over the coming week. The party’s message will be reinforced by online advertising and billboard trucks at state and county fairs in the coming days targeting vulnerable House Republicans in Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Jersey, among other states.

“As Democrats, our job is to ensure that every American across the country understands the devastating impacts of this bill,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said. “Democrats will be holding events, highlighting Republican hypocrisy, and ensuring Americans across the country know exactly who is responsible for taking away health care, food, construction jobs, and nursing homes in order to give massive handouts to billionaires.”…

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Republicans are touting the bill as a tax cut for all Americans, but polling suggests that U.S. adults have been slow to embrace the GOP’s message. The new law will add $3.4 trillion to federal deficits through 2034, leave more than another 10 million people without health insurance and leave millions of others without food stamps, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

For much of the year, Republican officials have avoided town hall meetings with constituents or public appearances where they might face protesters or unscripted questions from voters. GOP members of Congress may be slightly more visible this summer, however, according to a memo distributed this week by the House Republican campaign arm.

The memo encourages Republicans to be proactive in selling Trump’s bill during the August recess, although the National Republican Campaign Committee suggests its members focus on tax cuts in smaller settings they can control…

Democrats are planning a decidedly more public campaign this month than their Republican rivals, although they’ll also offer “multi-day intensive bootcamps” as part of a training program for political operatives and community leaders.

Events are being planned for all 50 states with special focus on 35 of the most competitive congressional districts in the country. Current and former Democratic officials will be featured, including former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who emerged as a leader against gun violence since her 2011 assassination attempt.

As part of the new effort, the Democratic National Committee is also launching a new digital advertising campaign initially targeting vulnerable Republicans in Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. That’s in addition to the DNC sending mobile billboard trucks to county fairs in the districts of Republicans in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey…

And as Republicans search for an effective message to sell Trump’s bill, Democrats are increasingly confident.

“The big, ugly law is a political disaster,” said Viet Shelton, spokesman for the House Democrats campaign arm. “Everyone hates it and vulnerable House Republicans know it, which is why they’re scared to face their constituents in person during the August recess.”

******

🚨BREAKING: The John Lewis Voting Rights Act (killed by Sinema & Manchin in 2021) was reintroduced yesterday by Sen. Warnock (HR114)! Almost no media coverage. Let’s change that.
Call your reps. Make noise. Pass the damn bill.🗳️
More: www.hrc.org/resources/vo…

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— Michelle Fowle (@mmanire.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 10:29 PM

===

Gotcha covered. Call Congress. The point is not that it will pass R/N, but it’s a rally point & stark contrast to what’s being forced on us right now.
202-224-3121
You can also use @resist.bot to send your own letter of support or speedier: text ‘sign PMIIDW’ to 50409
resist.bot/petitions/PM…

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— Mark Pickens (@airshipwriter.bsky.social) August 1, 2025 at 6:23 PM

===

Who's ready to organize, mobilize and we could pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act?
#RestoreTheVRA

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— Peggy Stuart (@peggystuart.bsky.social) July 31, 2025 at 12:39 PM

Saturday Morning Open ThreadPost + Comments (234)

Where’s Waldo Henry Overnight Thread

by WaterGirl|  August 1, 202511:05 pm| 47 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

I think Henry needs more toys of the stuffed variety. Right?

Is this like ET in the closet?

Open thread.

Where’s <s>Waldo</s> Henry Overnight ThreadPost + Comments (47)

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