J.R. Mailey

@KBizzl311 stay tuned.

This has me wanting to go back down the “Color Star Technology” rabbit hole again… Anyone remember that fraudulent 76ers sponsorship a few years back?

@Deadspin @RTRSPodcast Here's the link. It's a great read. deadspin.com/a-night-in-the…

He and I disagreed about Hinkie and the Process, but he was anything but a hater. His piece for @Deadspin about the cult-like atmosphere at the 2017 @RTRSPodcast lottery party remains a classice. RIP.

Just seeing now that @dhm passed away this week. What a gut punch. I caught a Sixers game with him a few years ago, the March 2022 game when Ben Simmons returned to Philly as a Net (but didn't play). The Sixers got smoked, but I spent the whole game cracking up at his takes.

I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted a song included in a show more than I want On the Turning Away to be featured in the Stranger Things finale. Would be so perfect.

@SpikeEskin Seems like Down Under Dario. But he’s a Bull now.

@SpikeEskin - how much would you enjoy the sixers taking an Australian who looks like a silverchair stan?

Cool, let’s keep gutting scientific research and educational programs and see how our high-tech “stuff” compares in a generation…

@MadBastardsAll at @DefectorMedia just released a great rundown of the Color Star saga. Meticulous reporting on an incredibly complicated story. defector.com/a-comprehensiv…

In many ways, Iran deploys influence over illicit networks in the same way that the US government wields the tools of economic statecraft: by exerting pressure on key choke points. Sitting at the crossroads of several important routes for smuggling Afghan heroin, Iran's ability to tighten the screws on traffickers provides immense leverage over cartels that operate the tacit or overt blessing of the state.

Turkey, in particular, has provided Iran with a porous gateway to Europe. Turkish heroin traffickers have carried out adbuctions and assassinations of Iranian opponents in at least half a dozen countries. Istanbul-based banks have been used to circumvent sanctiosn on a large scale. Politically-connected businessmen have been implicated in elaborate laundering schemes. And compromised police have aided or tipped off Iranian agents operating within Turkey's borders. For Iran, the divident of compromising the country's economic and political institutions is three-fold: it can sidestep sanctions, target opponents, and weaken Western confidence in the reliability of a NATO member.

We released a new report today @GI_TOC on how Iran weaponizes illicit markets. While some of Tehran's illicit liaisons may seem like opportunistic attacks on dissidents and opponents abroad, they are actually part of an elaborate strategy that has been shaped by Iran's ambitions in the context of isolation. As conventional military confrontations persist, expect Tehran to transform this illicit advantage into irregular warfare operations.

@MaileyJR 3/3 💥 These partnerships have allowed Iran to wage a “shadow war” across the region, from Yemen to Lebanon, without open conflict. 📄 Discover more in the full report: buff.ly/40tLR4d

@MaileyJR 2/3 🚩 Iran relies on militias like Hezbollah for arms smuggling, while criminal partners help move its oil & launder money globally, allowing the regime to maintain plausible deniability.

🇮🇷 Iran’s criminal proxies aren’t just regional – they’re global. According to our latest report by @MaileyJR, Tehran uses criminal networks to evade sanctions, fund militias, & project power. Let’s unpack 👇 1/ 🧵

RIP Wendy Lady

May need to change this to the Batum Bonanza if things go our way.

The Chick-Fil-A game? @RTRSPodcast