Oh well I guess those words in that order could mean something other than what they mean sure

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's response to US troops dying

Crude oil, three months ago: $61 a barrel Crude oil today: $92 a barrel www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

FT comments section this morning - saying what everyone else is thinking, right?

Props to Crockett for keeping her eye on the ball and locking in for what's coming. Anyone thinking of dwelling on the primary should take note.

RFK does not seem to understand that not only should the Massachusetts flag be changed to pink and orange, but that Bostonians have a tradition of standing up for their right to drink the caffeinated beverage of their choice without government interference.

This wasn’t a take on being in a war zone that I was expecting and yet…

Natgas... "In sheer volume, this could be worse than 2022" www.ft.com/content/78fb... But... zoom out

Operation Epstein Fury is the most sophisticated military operation in the history of the United States. by Pete Hegseth

tEh cAtHeDrAL - guy who says he is a Catholic

OFFS. When Iran tried to interefere in 2020, researchers caught them and called them out. Then the Benz-Weiss-Taibbi-Musk-Jordan-Trump axis labeled those researchers "censors" ... and set about defunding them and dismantling their organizations.

I was literally pulling up the FBI indictments of the Iranian hackers two days ago for a forthcoming article ab this 🫠 Trump dismantled the entire infrastructure that disrupted this op! Kate and Stamos and I were sued by America First Legal — case is entering its 3rd year. These fucking hacks.

The world can once again witness Russia's impotence. The mullah regime, which on paper is Russia's ally, is getting clubbed with zero Russian interference. It is the latest episode showing how weak Russia has become. The word of Moscow is worth nothing for both, friend or foe.

Rubin: "There is at least one witness for whom 3 interviews with the FBI in in 2019 are missing [from the Epstein files]. What's the big deal? We can also confirm she is the same person who in a 2025 FBI presentation is identified as accusing Trump of a sexual assault when she was between 13 and 15"

In the midst of the most aggressive and alarming federal assault on the First Amendment since the Palmer raids, the Biden-era free speech warriors have focused their outrage on . . . the injustice of releasing the Epstein files.

At this point, the level of stupidity and recklessness in the Hungarian government is just mind-blowing.

My new book #TalkingClassics is 25% off RRP between now & 20 Feb. If you have already ordered, you can cancel & use this offer. Details: www.waterstones.com/book/talking...

The regime is now dictating what political views are acceptable to air on television and paramount/cbs are collaborating in that censorship bsky.app/profile/ditz...

A crucial fact too few Europeans know: Ukraine produces far more drones and inexpensive cruise missiles than the entire EU combined, yet it still doesn’t have enough. What does it say about Europe’s capabilities? We urgently need to step up

It would be really great to read an article about young boys that didn't have Adolescence and "crisis" as its reference points. There is something badly wrong in our discourse about teenage boys and girls. Mostly, they are fine and far better adjusted than their parents and grandparents.

Problem about the loneliness epidemic is, it's everywhere except in representative survey data. Let's look at where the claim comes from. 1/

Western arms production is ahead of political will. German giant Rheinmetall is already producing more ammo than it has contracts for Ukraine CEO Armin Papperger said company is ready to supply more weapons immediately, if governments release funding euromaidanpress.com/2026/02/17/g...

alexander the great, who actually forged an empire, was tutored by a little known athens-educated philosopher named aristotle

One of those occasions where we can dismiss someone's point missing stupidity as "not even wrong".

The first epsiode of the Science Counterpunch is now live! Prof @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social and Prof @michaelemann.bsky.social join us to discuss who is attacking science and why, what tactics you should watch out for, and how you can fight back! YT Link: youtube.com/watch?v=O4PF... 🧪⚛️

Jay Bhattacharya wearing the face tats of a convicted rapist for his “eat more veggies” campaign. V normal.

Imagine being this sane

A handyman from Florida who received a pardon from President Trump for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted on state charges of child sex abuse and exposing himself to a child. n.pr/4tx7oVq

I'll chime in when there's something in the discourse, but for the most I just feel an overwhelming sense of relief, a toxic burden lifted, that I don't have to worry about fighting over the word "libertarian" anymore. They can have it and wallow in how hopelessly soiled it is, not my problem.

If you are using the phrase "full speed ahead to uber-woke, net-zeroist, rejoinerism", especially if you are of the left, a loved one should take your phone off you and send you to Baden-Baden or somewhere for a month.

The moral panic about young men is the new version of “UKIP is winning over former Labour voters” (also a Goodwin argument). Both rely on anecdote more than data, and do significant damage to public understanding of the radical right. Young men are the second *least* pro-Reform group in the UK.

The endless column inches, YouTube videos, podcasts and more given over to the largely non-existent rightwards shift of young men is exhausting. A small fraction are getting radicalised by the online right. But most young men vote left and liberal! Even more so than millennials did at their age!

Of course he did

It was true on Orwell’s time that the divide was between people (like him) who were driven to achieve political goals and those who purported to be pursuing the same goals, but were driven mainly by the desire to emote and preen. It’s even more true today.

"EU Commission indicates it's ready to implement Mercosur trade deal despite parliament vote to delay" apnews.com/article/merc... "The deal is central to Brussels’ plan to form trade relations outside a historic dependency on the US... Ratification is considered all but guaranteed in South America"

A January 6th insurrectionist who Trump pardoned is now being charged with molesting a child. Trump’s pardon released him from prison.

Utterly extraordinary. Trump is clearly very serious about using every tool at his disposal to help his far-right allies abroad. This would ordinarily surely be grounds for revoking the culprits' diplomatic credentials.

It is preposterous for Donald Trump to say he no longer feels an obligation to peace… Does the FIFA World Cup World Peace award not mean anything anymore?

One of those news days that will confuse some people: China's coal "output" (mining) grew 1.2% y/y to a record high in 2025, but "output at coal plants" (burning it in power plants) fell 1%, so stockpiles grew and prices fell. www.bloomberg.com/news/article... Put another way... 1/2

We're so used to using terms like "crazy" and "insane" as terms of political abuse in a more metaphorical sense, I find myself coming back to "non compos mentis." He's literally not mentally competent, delusional and erratic to the point of being incapacitated under any reasonable standard.

I'm honestly less mad at the President, who is clearly not well, that I am at his outriders and enablers. They see messages like this and then, with straight faces, go on television or write op-eds retroactively constructing grand strategy justifications. Pathetic.

Dan weten we dat ook weer.

Not the sort of letter committed to paper by a well man. "Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace"

This is a very good point. The November 2025 US National Security Strategy never mentions the Arctic at all. The idea that it's a genuine security priority for the Trump administration is not credible.

5,000 protestors and 500 state security personnel killed in a few weeks is a lot. And there’s a good chance the number of protestors Iranian forces have killed is decently higher than that. No one knows where this will end up, but it’s very serious unrest, deadlier than some armed conflicts.

Dugin: the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus should not be sovereign. According to him, Moscow should not tolerate the existence of independent Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

There are going to be limits to what you can make other countries do by threatening to tax your own citizen's purchases of their products. I believe handing over entire territories falls well beyond those limits. 🤷‍♂️

These so-called "patriotic" 🇬🇧newspapers who brought you Brexit were never really patriotic at all. They are driven by a disdain for Britain's European neighbours, and a fawning obsession with America. They do not really want 🇬🇧 to be sovereign. They're content being a 🇺🇸vassal.

The ghost of Charles de Gaulle is so damn smug right now.