A headline to sum up our times:

ICE is now full-blown Gestapo.

In difficult times be strong enough to stand and compassionate enough to help others who cannot.

ICE shot a legal observer in the face in Minneapolis. Abolish ICE and prosecute every single one of their deputized terrorists.

The recent US military operation in Venezuela resulted in at least 80 deaths, which included both military personnel and civilians, according to reports. However, the exact number of civilian casualties has not been officially confirmed.

For those of us not in the cult, this is what we hear when anyone from the Trump administration speaks. For the people in the back, this is satire and so well done…

Something I see a lot of folks missing in discussions about what's happening Venezuela, particularly around oil, is the role U.S. oil majors' interest in Guyana—and the threat Venezuela posed to it—has in all of it. Explainer here: drilled.media/news/guyana-...

What infuriates me is how the Trump regime (and, frankly, previous U.S. admins) ignore civilian deaths in countries in which they involve the US military. Marco Rubio is trying to call the capture of Maduro and his wife simply an “arrest”. Arrests don’t result in the deaths of innocent civilians.

Provocative thread, basically linking oil and the USD as the world’s dominant currency in trade. I’m not qualified to judge whether these claims are accurate and, if accurate, not exaggerated. But I’d be interested in others chiming in.

Spain breaks ranks with EU countries to explicitly and categorically reject Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela, considering it breaches fundamental principles of international law.

amazing how the entire machine can pivot within 24 hours. no need to slowly upsell the argument; just issue new marching orders

Venezuelan oil will not bring a big pay off for Trump any time soon, if ever. Even more of a chimera than tariffs closing budget deficit. Canada has no reason to worry about displacement in its US markets. Excellent Forbes background h/t @ronsteenblik.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/rrapie...

I feel confident in already predicting the word of the year for 2026: QUAGMIRE

Today is the precise 36th anniversary of the last time the United States used force to remove a Latin American head of state, in case you’re keeping score.

Russian propaganda explained

Now we can understand one reason why Trump has been reluctant to condemn Putin’s unprovoked attacks on Ukraine: in Trump’s multipolar vision of the world order he wants to be free to do the same. These attacks are illegal under U.S. law as well as international law.

BREAKING: The United States appears to have begun bombing Venezuela. Massive airstrikes are underway. War is here.

Swiss ski resort bar fire which killed 40 people and injured 115 was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles held aloft in celebration. #LeConstellation #CransMontana

C'mon, The Economist, how about setting a better example by using a paper or canvass bag, or a wooden crate, to display the groceries — anything instead of a single-use plastic bag, please!

Interesting new paper by Bessie Noll, @tobiasschmidt.bsky.social, and Florian Egli. “As electric vehicle adoption accelerates globally, fuel tax revenues decline, exposing government budgets without a proposed replacement tax on electric vehicles.”

Not a fan of Bush but he was a step up from what we got now.

We just cancelled all federal funding for foreign language & area studies at America’s universities to “save”…$86,000,000: bsky.app/profile/mcop...

I assure you I didn’t engage in any funny business. I just took a random screenshot!

Valdai Residents Report No Signs of Claimed Ukrainian Drone Attack on #Putin Residence www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/30/v...

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon criticized President Trump over his reaction to Russia’s claim of a Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s residence. “Trump and his team should establish the facts first before jumping in. Putin is a known, shameless liar,” Bacon said.

🤓 BUCKET LIST 🤓 'HOW TO WIN A TRADE WAR' (my forthcoming book with the amazing @soumayakeynes.ft.com) is part of a New Year's Day sale thingie! Barnes & Noble Premium & Rewards Members get 25% off pre-orders Dec 30-Jan 1 only #BNPreorder Instructions Here: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-win...

I’m a lieutenant in a 1960s Peruvian military academy.

If we’re proceeding into a markedly different era where (big picture, broad brush strokes etc) pluralism (globalisation, multilateralism, universality) is giving way to polarism (regionalisation, oligopoly, singularity)…

Since added flame retardants, e.g., in insulation materials, can account for more than 10% of CO2 equivalents, it is worth considering ways to avoid or replace them in construction. The current practice of using as many plastics as possible, both in homes and as homes, cannot be sustainable 1/3

🧵For those who missed it, another familiar name appears in the latest tranche of Epstein files. Nicholas Tartaglione--the former NY cop sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of 4 men. The same dirty ex-cop who was put in Epstein's cell with him at the Metropolitan Correctional Center

Tied the Wordle Bot today, which means that over the last fortnight it and I are tied. @scoremywordle.bsky.social Wordle 1,654 3/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

RIP Brigitte Bardot

BRAVO Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg for standing firm and protecting her father’s name and The Kennedy Center. #Pinks #ProudBlue #Voices4Victory

Interesting results of a survey asking U.S. citizens “What makes someone American?” I suspect holding a strong belief that the USA “is the best country in the world” is highly correlated with scant knowledge (especially of the kind gained firsthand) of the 🌎 beyond U.S. borders.

Hey, @indydevoeus.bsky.social, can you help us here? What was this MAGA hat THINKING?

According to Republican Senator Chris Garten, we are snowflakes for not wanting to beat up Santa.

Halfway now back to my previous maximum streak of 270 (interrupted because I forgot to play one day). @scoremywordle.bsky.social Wordle 1,651 3/6 🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Is “polypsychopath” a word? That would seem to be a better fit.

[ Centuries from now, in an archaeology class ] "And notice how the inhabitants of this 21st century city emphasized the forehead in their sculptures..."

We don’t spend enough time discussing how the entire MAGA movement is kept afloat by the constant threats of stochastic terrorism orchestrated by the president of the United States. Congress, the courts, much of the media … all kept in line by the mob boss and his army of anonymous goons.

Why the Pituffik is Trump saber rattling over Kalaallit Nunaat again, and especially now? (Answer: to distract attention from the #Epstein files.)

Behold! The new fleet of Trump battle ships is here! First to launch is USS Bonespurs! #Venezuela #Trump

PERFECTION

Read this cover to cover over the summer (a luxury I rarely allow myself) and finally had time to take notes. Main take-aways: 1. There is no equality without freedom and vice versa. They are not mutually exclusive, as liberalism would have us believe. www.penguin.co.uk/books/314162...

Cheap (subsidized) virgin #plastics are undercutting the market for recycled plastics in the EU, leading to the shuttering of numerous (mechanical) recycling plants. In response, the EU has announced additional checks and stricter rules on claims of recycled content in #plastic imported from abroad.

The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 4/5

Bad day for Euro 🇪🇺 offshore wind 🌬️ projects in the US 🇺🇲 5 East Coast wind projects were paused citing national security ('radar interference') concerns: Vineyard Wind 1 (🇩🇰-🇪🇸) Revolution Wind (🇩🇰) CVOW (US, w 🇳🇱/🇸🇪/🇧🇪 subcontractors) Sunrise Wind (🇩🇰) Empire Wind 1 (🇳🇴) www.doi.gov/pressrelease...

Don’t forget. Biden’s DoJ was investigating uncharged third parties in the Epstein files up until the last minute. Trump shut down the investigation, sent the files to DC, & fired the prosecutors. They went through them, redacted Trump’s name, then elected not to release them and closed the matter.