James Phillips

'To Jewish families, more than 1000 years of history is bleak evidence that they are right to fear they will once again be on their own.' @TrevorPTweets reflects on antisemitism in Britain, after a swathe of violence against the Jewish community trib.al/S3icMYg

I am, like most British Jews, growing really frustrated with this vague talk about “division and unity and hate.” We have a very specific problem here. An IRGC cut out is recruiting disaffected Islamist-radicalised men, many long known to the police and negligently left ambling about, to a conduct a targeted intifada against the London Jewish community. And both our counter intelligence and counter terror forces are failing to intercept them. I don’t need a mass London rally of well wishers or cultural luminaires to post their wishes — nice as that is — I need an actual security strategy to clamp down on this so my community can go about our lives in peace as is our absolute minimum right. And I need politicians to call the problem for what it is — not good vibes.

Following the antisemitic stabbing of two Jewish people on the streets of Golders Green this morning, words of condemnation are no longer sufficient. This must be a moment that demands meaningful action from every institution, every community, every leader, and every decent person in our country. This is a hatred that we must face down together.

An antisemite can’t bear the idea of Jews as victims. It’s why antisemites protested against Israel after October 7, before Israel had even responded - they had to demonise the victims. Anyone who refuses to acknowledge that today’s victims are Jews is showing who they really are

Imagine a small town — something like the size of Worcester — was repeatedly under attack by an IRGC-linked group. That’s the amount of Jews that live in the small area of London that’s repeatedly under attack.

Rewatching the greatest screen performance of the 90s.

I hope the US plans to say “thank you” to Ukraine.

Almost a daily occurrence.

Evil regime, evil men hiding behind their religion

Confused as to why politicians say, on another attempted arson attack on a Jewish building, “these terrorists are trying to divide us - and will not succeed etc etc.” Are they? I’d say that diviseness is not the object. I’d say it’s trying to kill Jews.

Turns out they did, in fact, renew the general license on Russian oil. This will likely mean billions in new funding for Russia to fuel its war on Ukraine.

While the rest of Europe wakes up to a clear Spring morning, Kyiv looks like this. Several innocent people killed including a child because russia continues to attack the capital. Despite it not making the news anymore, Ukraine continues to be under attack daily. 📹: @Liberov

Last night, petrol bombs were thrown at Finchley Reform Synagogue in London. Mercifully, the bottles didn't ignite, and, on this occasion, there was little damage and no injuries, but the evidence of yet more anti-Jewish hatred could not be clearer. We are a resilient community and we will never succumb to fear and intimidation.

Yes

So far, Vance’s foreign policy record is yelling at Zelensky for not thanking Trump enough, campaigning for AfD in Germany and Orban in Hungary, getting rejected by the Pope on his invite to the US, and failing in the Iran negotiations.

Timothy Snyder is a Yale historian who has spent his career studying authoritarianism in Eastern Europe. The framing he's amplifying from emptywheel is precise and documented: this is a transnational effort, funded by Russian oil, to replace Western liberalism with a pro-Russian ideology posing as restoration. The money trail is specific. Hungary's Mathias Corvinus Collegium - Orbán's "pet university" - received a $1.7 billion endowment in 2020: 10 percent stakes in Hungary's largest energy company and largest pharmaceutical company, plus $462 million in cash. That endowment is funded in significant part by Russian oil revenues flowing through state energy contracts. MCC then funds a sprawling network of think tanks, fellowships, publications, and summits pushing the same ideological program across Europe and into the United States. Heritage Foundation signed a "landmark cooperation agreement" with Orbán's Danube Institute. Heritage's president Kevin Roberts has praised Orbán's movement for fighting for "Truth, for tradition, for families." Gladden Pappin - Harvard-trained, Catholic, now running a Hungarian state foreign policy institute - sits in bilateral meetings on the Hungarian side when American officials visit. He was in Vance's study at the Naval Observatory for drinks with Orbán last fall. If Magyar wins Sunday he has pledged to defund MCC, recover its state assets, and end the use of public money to build political networks. That is why Vance flew to Budapest. That is why Trump endorsed Orbán twice by video. That is why the pipeline near Serbia produced two backpacks of explosives a week before the vote. The Sunday election is not about Hungary. It is about whether the money laundering vehicle for this network survives.

I never thought I’d see a U.S. president and vice president actively back a European leader caught collaborating with the Kremlin at the expense of Europe’s security. That will forever be the legacy of Trump and Vance in Europe. We will not forget.

Lukashenko lost his election badly and is still there. Maduro was soundly defeated and refused to step down. Will Europe step up if Orbán follows in their Kremlin-guided footsteps and cries fraud or simply declares victory and refuses to leave?

HODGES: Little over year ago, Trump and Vance yelled at Zelenskyy in the Oval Office with this ridiculous assertion that Ukraine had “no cards”. Here we are today, where Ukraine is helping Gulf countries defend themselves against Iranian drones. What an amazing turn of events.

It is nearly impossible for a European to comprehend the psychological reality inside Russia. It is not just "fake news." It is a total deconstruction of reality. Let me try to immerse you in the world Russians live in [1/9]