AngloSaxonIvan

@ChrisO_wiki I'm sure the excuse is there's a ceasefire, so no real war fighting going on. In any case, we can be sure that Kid Rock was really there to train up with Pete "Crusader" Hegseth, ready for the aftermath of the mid terms. That's when the real fighting starts.

This is what "focusing on the warfighters" means in practice, it seems

I've raised this in comments before, but it's worth adding again: NOT ONE SINGLE DAY HAS PASSED SINCE THE WAR WITH IRAN BEGAN WHEN US PLANES HAVE NOT USED UK AIR BASES. And yet all we hear from Trump - or one of his minions - is the UK has to be "punished" in some way for not backing the (illegal) war. So let's see what Trump says while King Charles is visiting. No doubt, he'll wait for Charles to leave before more insults fly. One thing's for sure. Starmer won't be around for much longer (maybe he might last until September before he's ousted). And whoever becomes prime minister after him is going to know the British people think it's well past time we told Trump to fuck off - and they're going to have balls enough to do it.

Monitoring channels report that the U.S. Air Force is mass-transferring equipment to the Middle East via Europe. The operation involves C-17A Globemaster III aircraft and C-5M Super Galaxy heavy transport planes.

@TWMCLtd @bk13051 Glad you found me then, Tim 🙂(you'd get me via google as I've published various papers over the years). And thanks again for your reports. And yes, sadly, the "cat and mouse" aspect did occur to me. Cheers.

@bk13051 @HorrocksIvan1 Ah, Mr Horrocks! Thank you for yesterday. You do not show up under any searches with your name. Dave is exactly right, hence why Odesa is a soft target, also border & frontline areas. By the time Ukraine adapts to this problem, it's likely Russia will have adapted. Cat + mouse.

The war in Europe reaches Day 1524. Collectively the world has allowed this to happen. Not dissimilar to how Hitler carried out his genocide, the evil people assisted the Fuhrer, while many of those pretending they are good, do nothing, or far too little. Here's Monday's 🧵

Tim, with the rapid development of interceptor drones, now more and more targeting autonomously via AI, I wonder if Ukraine will hit a point this year where certain facilities and buildings can be almost comprehensively protected from shahed type drones? If that could be combined with long range strikes on the factories where these weapons are manufactured (and, again, Ukraine is making massive progress with production of its own long range weaponry) perhaps this wanton and illegal destruction and death by Russia can be brought under some sort of control? Probably me being unrealistic, but unless the Russian economy actually collapses this year - and I know it's near, but not near enough, probably, - these attacks are bound to continue, as it's the only way Russia/Putin can get any satisfaction given their near total lack of progress on the actual battlefield.

6/6 A merchant ship, in Ukraine's sea-lane, was also attacked. Crew on the RAMCO (Nauru flag) managed to extinguish a fire on board without injury. Authorities say an energy facility at the cargo terminal was damaged, local fires broke out, which were promptly put-out.

Nothing to do with over population, Emmet. I explained in my previous (long) comment some of the reasons. Others were the Enclosure Act (which took away common land from the people, which was then cleared for agriculture by rich landlords), and the industrial revolution. Population growth didn't increase until later, when much of the land had already been cleared and/or drained.

@HorrocksIvan1 @WarMonitor3 Btw, our state is currently 60 percent forested. Sad how you destroyed your natural landscapes thru over population.

I may be biased but I am going to say Britain for its countryside, history and beauty, when the sun is out I do not think anything beats it. A lot of people never venture out of the big cities when visiting Britain which is a huge mistake

Lisa, real democracy requires transparency - as you rightly say. But that's a two way street. Consequently, ALL organisations/individuals who fund lobbying, advocacy, so called "think tanks", political parties and politicians, influencers, and so on (the "machine" as you call it) should be forced to disclose how much, to whom and for what. It should not - and for true transparency, must not - only focus on left or right. It has to be across the board.

Obama/Dems are cheering Hungary's election as a "victory for democracy. "Ousting Orbán after his "Stop Soros" laws curbed foreign-funded NGOs pushing migration and social justice agendas. It's ironic: the same networks they celebrate defeating abroad are deeply embedded in U.S. progressive causes here. Soros' Open Society Foundations pledged $220 million in 2020 for racial justice efforts (including Black-led groups and criminal justice reform). Tides Foundation (a pass-through) received tens of millions from OSF and faced BLM lawsuits over mismanaged funds. Since 2018, these donors backed: Soros: DAs like Alvin Bragg (NY) and Larry Krasner (PA); Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA). Pritzker: IL Dem committees and self-funded campaigns. Reid Hoffman (Epstein island visits via MIT fundraising): Sens. Cory Booker, Sheldon Whitehouse, and various state races. Intersections are real. Pro-Hamas/Gaza activists marched with LGBTQ+ groups post-Oct 7 despite Hamas executing homosexuals and enforcing Shariah norms antithetical to queer rights. "Queers for Palestine" highlights the contradiction. BLM tweeted solidarity with Palestine; its original demands included a society "fully divested from police, prisons, and all punishment paradigms." Aligning with defund rhetoric and soft on crime policies. Pre-Obama DEI focused on civil rights, individual autonomy, and equal opportunity under constitutional principles. Post-Obama, it shifted globally via WEF, UN Agenda 2030, and the Global Migration Pact, ideological mandates, Title IX changes, and equity over merit. Trump reversed many. Dems oppose Musk, Trump and America First national policies via lawsuits and votes. Soros OSF funded BLM, migration groups, and social justice PACs tied to anti-Trump operations and The Squad. Hungary called out restrictive NGO influence in 2018; Soros called the laws "too restrictive" and shifted focus to Berlin. The Never Trump machine draws from this ecosystem: Soros-funded Dem PACs, Newsom, Bragg, Krasner, plus groups like RVAC (Sarah Longwell), Lincoln Project, and dark money via Arabella Advisors/Sixteen Thirty Fund ($10M+ to DDT in 2020), Pierre Omidyar, etc. Follow the web: sdgs.un.org/2030agenda Federalregister.gov Congress.gov Whitehouse.gov blacklivesmatter.com/about/ blacklivesmatter.com/take-action/ Real democracy requires transparency on who funds the machine. Hungary resisted one part. Americans should scrutinize left/right dark money uniparty influence on policy, DAs, courts, migration, and social justice.

Anyone suggesting we should stop accurately pointing out factual ways that the president is wrecking this country on a daily basis, or expressing an opinion about that, because of something a random nut does is espousing a profoundly un-American concept that I completely reject.

Emmet, the soil on most of the uplands in the UK is extremely poor - both in terms of depth and nutrients. Consequently, large trees cannot grow. This can be confirmed by looking at very old maps of England, Wales, Scotland, where uplands are shown without drawn trees. Add to that, sheep farming - which is about all the grass is good for in summer - and you soon get rid of even small trees like rowan or birch. That said, there certainly were a lot more trees on the lower slopes and in the valleys than now. For example, I live to the south of what was (and what remains is still called) Sherwood Forest - of Robin Hood fame. There are early 17th century (e.g. 1607) maps of the county of Nottinghamshire that show the county almost completely covered in forest all the way to the river Trent in the south of the county. But the need for massive amounts of timber for ship building (we had the largest navy in the world then), and then clearances for livestock, started the move to what remains today.

@WarMonitor3 one thing. I agree it is beautiful. but it wouldn't look nearly as striking if your denuded hills had their original forests like we have in Pennsylvania. That is not a natural look. there should be trees on those hills and there were for centuries. it is not natural.

That's not the point Kasparov is making. His point is that it used to be the case that a US president knew the difference between democratic countries working together to protect and/or fight back against dictatorships (such as Russia or China) - who they supported. And dictatorships that attack or threaten democratic countries - which the US didn't support. But Trump makes no distinction - exactly as you didn't in your comment.

@Kasparov63 That is such bullshit. We have been providing Arms and Intel to Ukraine and China and Russia will be certain to reciprocate where they can. I would think a grand master strategist could figure that one out.

Unable to ever criticize Russia, Trump always lapses into this pathetic moral relativism. No, democracies helping each other fend off terrorists and invading dictatorships is not the same as terrorists and dictators helping each other invade and murder civilians in democracies.

One thing we should all stop doing is labeling Starmer - or pretty much anyone in the Labour party - socialist. THEY ARE NOT (in terms of policies they are actually to the right of the Tory/Lib Dem coalition of 2010-14). They are totally wedded to the neoliberal economic order that has dominated economics and politics across the whole world (with some exceptions, like North Korea) since the 1980s. To give the impression that Labour are different to the Tories or Lib Dems each party tweaks its policies slightly - but the underlying beliefs and aims and objectives are fundamentally the same: an endless cycle of developments that shift wealth and power onto a small group of the super rich (in other words, oligarchs). The reason you see people like Starmer meeting people from Palantir and all the other super rich tech "bros" or their servants is they now almost totally control our politics. So, nobody - and especially not Farage, for those who think he'd be any differnt - is able, or willing, to avoid the call of these people, if that call comes. What we have now in the UK, and indeed in most countries, is "continuity" political parties - where the aim is to continue neoliberal policies (privatisation; endless reduction in any kind of regulation or protection [e.g. water quality]; wealth transfer to the already rich; rentier economics; etc) but with a few different bells and whistles for the so called political parties, to make politics - and thus our democracy - look like it's functioning. It isn't. We're locked into a neoliberal doom loop, and it looks like there's no way out (and no, Reform, will not be any different, for those who think Farage and co will somehow be the UK's salvation).

Starmer and Mandelson visited Palantir’s headquarters in Washington while Mandelson was ambassador to the US. And even though the ministerial code requires ministers, including the PM to publish details of meetings with external organisations, NO record of the Palantir briefing was logged, and no minutes were taken. Why?

Whether or not this was going to be a real attempt on Trump, it's worth mentioning that amongst the many things the Russians did to try to keep Orban in power was a suggestion of a mock assassination attempt, which, it was suggested, would increase Orban's popularity. It'll be interesting to see if there's a bounce for Trump.

In DC federal court, initial appearances tend to happen in early afternoon. 1pm hour Magistrate judge handles initial appearance. Then the case is placed in the “wheel”… in which a judge is randomly assigned New arrestees (once they depart hospital, if applicable) go to Central Cell block … a lockup beneath police HQ For longer term pretrial detention, they’re often held in DC jail. Federal defenders will be available to serve. (They’re very very good) Jeanine Pirro’s team will prosecute

Thanks for the update, Combat. Seems like a good place for the French to start might be the encampments? But if I remember correctly, some years ago when they broke up camps they were then worried about the migrants spreading out into the French countryside, so they decided better to have them in one place where they knew where they were.

@HorrocksIvan1 @WarMonitor3 I did not see people actually launching boats. But especially on the hiking trails between ‘Puys’ and ‘Dieppe’ (where I was located), there were huge migrant encampments where boating equipment like paddles could be seen.

Despite the British government paying France another 600 million pounds to stop small boat crossing today marked another day of boats crossing the channel and illegal migrants entering through dover.

So the obvious question is: Did you see any people launching small boats from those beaches in an attempt to get to the UK? If yes, then you have a point. If no, then that probably explains why you never saw coast guard patrols (i.e. they were not beaches small boats are launched from.

@WarMonitor3 I’ve spent the past few weeks vacationing on the beaches of Normandy, and I haven’t seen the French or English coast guard patrolling once.

Orban might be big mates with Putin, but it isn't to Moscow he's going. Oh, no! He'll be doing the "reorganisation" of his political party from the US: his daughter and multi millionaire son in law (all due to Orban's corruption) moved/fled to New York straight after the election, so they've no doubt been house hunting for "daddy".

❗️Viktor Orbán – it’s over: he has given up his parliamentary mandate in the Hungarian parliament after 36 years of service. He says his presence in parliament is no longer needed, but he will now focus on reorganizing the Fidesz party.

Your PS is actually utter bullshit, Bleachers. Learn some FACT BASED history. Raskin - as with a number of others - was preemptively pardoned by Biden because it was widely believed that Trump would seek to "punish" all those involved in his two impeachments, the Russia probe, and the January 6th 2021 riots and attack on the Capitol, plus various other actions against Trump. Events since January 2025 - and continuing as of now - demonstrate that Trump did - and does - indeed intend to try to "punish" anyone he views as an enemy (i.e. anyone who actually has the balls to call him out for his actions) - which would include Raskin.

Nicely edited. For this clip to have any credibility, the full unedited version should have been played. The fact it wasn't is evidence the poster had something to hide. Could it be that Farage & the audience were laughing as Farage debunked every word that "Democrat" senator Raskin uttered? PS, Jamie Raskin was a member of the Biden crime family, we know this because Biden pardoned him of all crimes when he wasn't even being investigated for any.

With the local elections fast approaching this deserves revisiting: Farage squirms as Rep. Jamie Raskin obliterates the "Putin-loving, free speech imposter, Trump sycophant". Please share as widely as possible. The news media have a convenient habit of forgetting about Farage's service to Russia.

Never truer words spoken about a man (Farage) who has made his entire political career out of being the UK's number one grievance merchant. The fact that he's an arch TRUMP WORSHIPER - and thus the worshiper of a man whose a pathological liar, fraudster, conman, racist, sexist, and delusional sociopath, tells you all you need to know about Farage. And, as Raskin says, like Trump, he's a lover of autocrats - which means he a threat to democracy - as the people of the UK will find out if this excuse of a politician ever gets near the levers of powers in the UK. We've suffered some seriously crap and fucking useless governments since 2010, and many (including me) don't think much of the current Labour government, especially given Starmer's lack of political nous, but the failings of these governments will pale into insignificance if Farage and his bunch of narrow minded, unprepared, misfits get into power.

True, a proportion (not sure what percentage) of Russia's income comes from the EU. Unfortunately, before 2014 the Russians were very clever at promising cheap gas and oil supplies to Europe, and with pro Russian politicians in power in some countries (e.g Merkel in Germany) the deals were too good to refuse, and nobody appears to have twigged that they would be used as blackmail when Russia took military action against countries. All I can say is that since 2022 the scale of imports has reduced massively (with only pro Russian countries now taking gas/oil) and should end completely by next year.

@HorrocksIvan1 @TimothyDSnyder Russia is funded by the EU and their oil and gas purchases. What is your take on that?

Sure, Russia hasn’t done anything good, so the oil bonanza billions from the US can’t be a reward. It’s just an expression of Trump’s general policy to make life easier for Putin. It serves no US interest whatsoever. kyivindependent.com/this-is-not-re…

@koality_bear @WarMonitor3 Obviously not, Ted 🤔But they're all we have nowadays. Cheers.

@HorrocksIvan1 @WarMonitor3 Are these your savviest politicians?

@WarMonitor3 Agree on your first question (and I think we'll soon find out). But if Starmer didn't know he'd failed his vetting (which I accept he didn't) then he had no reason not to allow Mandelson whatever security clearance comes with being an ambassador.

The question the country deserves to know why did Peter Mandelson fail security service checks, did he have links to foreign intelligence agencies in China and Russia? Most importantly why did Kier Starmer allow a foreign asset top security clearance...

@TimothyDSnyder Correction. 2nd para: '...or, as now, from the war in Iran.'

We - by which I don't just mean Americans, as Trump's impact on world affairs is now global - should all ask a simple question: in a world where Trump has no qualms about insulting every political leader, why is it that he NEVER calls out Putin in any way, shape or form? Nothing. Ever. And that's only half the story. The other is the number of instances actions are taken by the US at Trump's direction, that directly benefit Russia. Whether that be in Ukraine, or, as now, from the war with Ukraine. Trump's defenders will resort to "whataboutism" in response: that he imposed sanctions. Or that Europe's more "guilty" because they still buy Russian oil/gas. But the fact is the sanctions, like the now infamous "peace" process led by Kushner and Witkoff, under the direction of the Russians - which is nothing more than a sham to buy Russia and the US more time to try to force Ukraine to capitulate - are simply cover for what's really going on. So, once again, why does someone who claims he's president of the most powerful country on Earth, who thus defers to no one, bow down to Putin? Whatever the reason, this is not new behaviour. It was there for all to see in his first term (remember Helsinki?). And it was evident at the beauty pageant in Moscow back in 2013. So, if someone talks like a Putin/Russia asset, acts like a Putin/Russia asset, and confesses his admiration for Putin/Russia, it's highly likely they are a Russian asset - as history will no doubt discover.