France to ban officials from using American video conference tools including Zoom and Teams.

Weird statement by Rutte. First, it is obviously wrong. Given time and the necessary investments, Europe can of course defend itself without U.S. And second: Why undermine European deterrence like that? This message increases the risk that Putin will try to exploit the current fracture in NATO.

I know that when I say uncomfortable things about US actions, both toward allies and internally, I lose some support from conservative circles in the U.S. But that doesn’t matter to me, because being on the right side of history and standing with the Americans who stood with us is far more important

The video also shows that the agent who fired the shots drew his weapon as the other agent, wearing a grey jacket, removed the victim’s handgun from the holster in his waistband.

The agent grabs his arm, startling him and causing him to fire one round. After being shot, the victim attempts to get up and is able to do so because the other agents release him, having also been startled. The shooting agent then fires rounds two, three, and four at the victim.

🧵The final agent to enter the frame approaches the agent who fired the shots from behind. During this approach, he accidentally grabs the other agent’s left arm. This leads the agent to believe that someone is trying to grab his weapon, causing him to discharge the first shot.

For years, American conservatives have preached about the 2nd Amendment, open carry, and federal authority, yet when a US citizen is shot by federal law enforcement, they rush to conclusions before any investigation has even begun. It has always been about hollow partisanship

Treat the US government and ICE claims like you'd treat a Russian government claim after they've shot down an airliner or bombed a hospital. America 2026.

Looks very likely that the man killed by ICE was disarmed by an ICE agent prior to being shot several times. An agent walks away with a handgun that matches the handgun the man was carrying.

Imagine going back 15 years and telling Republicans this: One day, you will cheer federal agents for killing people who were carrying firearms while exercising their Second Amendment rights.

The brilliance of Carney's "Sign in the Window" speech was that he was not attacking totalitarianism, but the hypocrisy of liberal democracies. It's about how we pretended to believe the fiction of a rules-based international order because it was convenient—and that time has come to be honest.

/2. After the 9/11 attacks, the United States activated Article 5 of NATO, calling for help and support. Allies responded. During the war in Afghanistan, coalition countries other than the U.S. lost around 1,100–1,200 of their soldiers.

/thread/ There is an ongoing debate about the current size of the Russian AFV fleet, losses it has taken, new production level storage+reactivation, etc. Here is my take on the topic

My Republican colleagues must take notice: The U.S. cannot base foreign policy on whether or not a president gets a prize. This is pathetic. It is petty and dangerous narcissism — behavior we might expect from a spoiled child, not the leader of a democratic nation.

In a letter to multiple European ambassadors today, President Trump says that because Norway failed to give him a Nobel Peace Prize, “I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace” The letter goes on to demand “complete and total control of Greenland.”

“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace” - Trump in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Norway

Trump can put a million-percent tariffs on Denmark, and it still doesn't change the answer about Greenland. There are only two possible endings to this bizarre story. Either Trump gives up, or else he goes through with a military invasion.

Saying this without judging religions or ideological beliefs as such, I find a dark amusement in watching millions who claim to be devout Christians and defenders of traditional family values cheer for the death of a woman, strip protections from the needy, separate families, and celebrate wars

2/ Exhibit#2

When I said last year that the average American MAGA supporter closely resembles a Russian vatnik in both mindset and ideology, I meant it seriously.

@anderspucknielsen.dk is as spot on and succinct as always. It shouldn't be possible, but most commentators (shockingly, even European commentators) seem to be understating or missing entirely how fundamentally different US foreign policy is from what we have come to expect. youtu.be/9T4hx4KjyQ8

Chairman JCOS: “Months of planning…” soooo not an imminent threat justifying self-defense

There are huge risks the US is walking into around Venezuela that could lead to scenarios I outlined below 5 weeks ago But as with any dictatorship, Maduro's weak internal legitimacy made him and Venezuela vulnerable to external military intervention bsky.app/profile/aphc...

It’s possible to hold both views at once: that Maduro was a tin-pot dictator who deserved to be removed from power, and that unauthorised military action to depose a foreign head of state is a troubling development. Especially given Trump’s rhetoric towards other nations.

Anyway, it's hard to see how this makes the US more secure. And I can't help looking at the pictures of this massive naval deployment and thinking about how much it cost relative to giving Ukraine what it needs to defend itself. 10/10

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Excellent thread. I hope @oalexanderdk.bsky.social posts analysis more often!

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Bipolar Geopolitical ADHD map: making Canada a state, then annex Greenland, slapping tariffs on penguins in the McDonald Islands, calling Zelensky a dictator, threatening to bomb Mexico but bombing Iran, praising Zelensky, pressuring Russia, threatening Venezuela and Nigeria, appeasing Russia

"This is the paradox of modern democracy — that in 2025, our democracies, which are in decline, need bold action to survive, but are designed to smother bold action, if not, make it entirely impossible." Great video by @vladvexler.bsky.social, and this is the most important point from it.

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Russia is exploiting economic struggles in developing nations, luring thousands of Africans with promises of escaping poverty - only for many to end up KIA or missing. Key findings from Frontelligence Insight’s analysis of unique mercenary records in Africa and the Middle East:

Without tangible policy shifts, real changes in aid, or the enforcement of sanctions, it’s nothing more than talk - a position that could shift tomorrow or next month again, after Putin’s next call or another “strategic” visit from Witkoff. What matters are actions, not words.

Trump to the UN: "I'm really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell."

Q: My condolences on the loss of your friend Charlie Kirk. How are you holding up? TRUMP: I think very good. And by the way, right there you see all the trucks. They just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House, which is something they've been trying to get for about 150 years.

My grandmother took a tougher stance on TV volume with my grandfather than Trump did on Russia penetrating NATO airspace with drones.

Will Vladimir stop under the pressure of such a tough stance?

it took the president more than 12 hours to come up with this

Jeffrey Epstein’s estate has given Congress a copy of the 2003 birthday book, including the letter with Trump’s signature that he has said doesn’t exist. Read more: 🔗 on.wsj.com/4nGGdnJ

Ukrainian fans displayed a banner reading “Fortress of Europe” during the Ukraine–France football match.

This story is WILD. Trump sent Seal Team 6 into North Korea to plant a listening device. The entire thing went sideways within minutes of landing when they noticed a fishing boat near the beach. They killed everyone on board, sunk the bodies to cover their tracks, and fled. Congress was never told.

I drove Predators in Iraq and know some things about targeted killings. No fucking way we would have had clearance to do what happened in Venezuela in an active combat zone in the Middle East. Imagine thinking that’s okay to do in a whole different region and country. Criminal.

I also wrote a book on targeted killings carried out by the US and wow, as Nicholas points out, this is so far outside of any previously settled practice or norm. Absolutely, unambiguously abnormal and well into 'murder' territory by any established convention.

I’ve studied US drone strikes, I wrote a book called “Drones and Terrorism,” and this Caribbean strike is different. Lethal fire at a non-threatening target in a non-hostile environment on purpose when other means, such as capture, were easily doable, and without even attempting a legal rationale.

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For the past half a year, Russian strikes on civilians have only grown more brutal for one main reason: while Putin slaughters children, Trump is busy bragging and signing photos with him.

Today’s Russian missile strike deliberately targeted a residential building in Kyiv. Two missiles were fired at the same spot, killing 8 civilians, including children. This was not a mistake, not a ‘deviation’ — it was a deliberate attack on civilians.