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“What should I do if I need my motherland, but she doesn’t need me?” Superheroes, special operations and “shaping the mindset of children.” An extended edition of #ReadingRussia

I talked to Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer about the radical transformation of US foreign policy, away from a process designed to help all Americans and towards the interests of a few people in the administration or close to the president youtu.be/vn4i_Jk_khc?...

Biological sex doesn’t divide neatly into two categories, or even along one spectrum. Our bodies are "mosaics" of traits. A biologist explains more: theconversation.com/biological-s...

US ties NATO protection to loyalty to Trump www.yacnews.com/us-ties-nato...

So it's fine, to let trump, who had over 300 bank accounts removed because of suspected money laundering, run this?

As Sen. Elizabeth Warren puts it, the regulatory approval announced late on Friday "is the most brazen act of self-dealing our system has ever seen." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

DOJ just walked away from its criminal prosecution of one of the richest men in the world. Why? Well, fraud makes the world go round in Donald Trump’s America. youtube.com/shorts/avfbD...

If this doesn't scream "narcissist" I don't know what does.

More proof, if any were needed, that trump has lost whatever tenuous link he had with reality.

Stop the false equivalence. No other President sued his own government to secure immunity for himself and his family, created a fund to reward cop beaters, and demanded prosecution of his political enemies. Trump’s weaponization of DOJ is unprecedented and you just endorsed it.

What are this morning’s Russian papers saying about Saturday’s restaurant bombing in Moscow? Almost nothing. #ReadingRussia

🚨NEW: Todd Blanche’s new order rescinds the May 18 Anti-Weaponization Fund—but quietly leaves the May 19 IRS immunity settlement intact. Instead of rescinding it, the accompanying memo reaffirms DOJ’s interpretation, arguing the immunity applies only retroactively and only to the parties involved.1/

BREAKING: Todd Blanche has released what he calls a rescission of the slush fund (left). The last lawsuit he mentions is mine (Gill v DOJ). This doesn't change the fact that the "settlement" setting up the fund is still in effect. On the right, Blanche is LEAVING IN PLACE Trump's tax immunity.

Free weeked update is out. The big story this week was once again people had hope in Trump and once again that hope was delusional and served Putin's interest. The toll for this misplaced hope is being written in blood. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

FIFA are a bunch of parasites and Gianni Infantino is an utter bastard. I hope that Latvian Football Federation votes for football and not for greed. youtu.be/3FTeLXCNGM0?...

“The one thing that does appear to be clear going forward is that chaos will follow.”

The US Government has become a bank from which the Trumps can write unlimited checks to themselves. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/w...

Admiral (ret.) William H. McRaven: "In recent months, President Trump, upon advice from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, has relieved or forced the retirement of some of the finest officers that have ever served this nation." {gift link} www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

The war in Iran began with a dream of violence. The question now is whether that tyrannical emotional state, the utopia of violence, that brought us the war will be applied inside the United States. snyder.substack.com/p/utopias-of...

A brief history of Jared Kushner profiting from his proximity to power

It's something I lay out in detail here if you want to understand what you're going through, but I suspect at this point you'll be completely resistant to the points I'm making and reflecting on your own behaviour and psychology youtu.be/D-FVjonlGOY?...

Russia’s government paper: “What went against Orbán was his unprecedentedly long time in office...16 years in a row, 20 in total. The fatigue factor, growing tired of the same people is psychologically understandable.” A reminder: it’s writing about Hungary. #ReadingRussia

In today’s Russian papers: latest data “rules out stabilisation or economic growth [in Russia]…forecasts of a deeper & more protracted recession.” Plus, Russian kindergartens to teach “traditional values” via games. And a Russian joke that’s a real puzzle... #ReadingRussia

Dear #merica, #ShadyVance is also working for putin.

Meanwhile Prof Tim Snyder is also issuing warnings about the same.

For first time ever, Army chief of chaplains fired — by Hegseth baptistnews.com/article/for-...

Trump has insulted and tariffed his European allies, persuaded Denmark to prepare for a US invasion and, by pressuring Ukraine and not Russia, encouraged Putin to keep fighting. All of which he has forgotten. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

So now Democrats are more of an enemy than Russia or China. The evil that permeates trumps soul grows and grows. Every Christian leader that does not speak up is complicit.

This is despicable. Shame on you Netanyahu. Orban is a Putin puppet & an authoritarian thug. Orban is an enemy of freedom. Like Trump & Orban, you are siding with Putin, a fascist, over the free world. You further isolate Israel, you give Israel a bad name, and you increase hatred of Israel. Resign.

Robert Mueller Served America. Trump Cheered His Death.This is not rough politics or another controversy. It is a glimpse into something darker now sitting in the Oval Office. A glimpse into the heart of a coward who ran from service. open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...

Today’s Russian papers write about attempts to protest against internet censorship, & about growing depression in Russian society. “Restrictions are tightening…self-censorship increasing. This doesn’t help our psychological wellbeing.” #ReadingRussia

There are some 3,000 patients on dialysis machines in Cuba who are at risk of dying from a prolonged blackout.

Today one Russian newspaper writes of a world leader who has “made a mistake as old as the world. It’s a feature of personalistic regimes. He comes to believe in his own genius & takes a decision in a narrow circle of trusted persons...the blitzkrieg didn’t work.” #ReadingRussia

Former British Army Chief Delivers Reality Check To Trump Over His Latest Nato Warning www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/former...

UPDATE ON THE HORMUZ COALITION (Mon, March 16): 🇫🇷 France: REJECTED 🇬🇧 UK: REJECTED 🇮🇹 Italy: REJECTED 🇪🇸 Spain: REJECTED 🇯🇵 Japan: REJECTED 🇳🇴 Norway: REJECTED 🇨🇦 Canada: REJECTED 🇦🇺 Australia: REJECTED 🇩🇪 Germany: REJECTED 🇨🇳 China: NO RESPONSE 🇳🇱 Netherlands: NO RESPONSE 🇰🇷 South Korea: NO CONFIRMATION

To lighten the mood, a joke. A malignant narcissist, a rapist and a psychopath walk into a New York bar. "What can I do for you, Mr. Trump?" asks the barman. "Move over, I can't see myself in the mirror".

Jared Kushner pledged to bring peace to the Middle East when all he really wanted was to bring a piece of the Middle East to Jared Kushner. #OpportunisticNepoBabyConMen

Americans are dying so that Kushner can make money

First Amendment violation, Brendan. I wonder if a class-action lawsuit (with 320 million of us being the injured class) might change your mind. Do this and ALL of us will see you in court.

The is the federal government telling news stations to provide favorable coverage of the war or their licenses will be pulled. A truly extraordinary moment. We aren't on the verge of a totalitarian takeover. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. Act like it.

This Trump tweet is a work of art and needs to be kept for posterity. It turns out that the US has destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability. Yet, to combat a military with no capability he is left pleading with allies he has regularly insulted to save him in the Gulf.

Fragile Snowflake Hegseth.

Russian papers report the consequences of Moscow’s week-long mobile internet blackout. “Sales of walkie-talkies are up 27%, sales of pagers up 73%...sales of road atlases up 170%.” Meanwhile, high oil prices mean that Russia’s “export revenues are growing.” #ReadingRussia

😕💰

This story suggests that Witkoff and Kushner bungled the negotiations with Iran because they don't understand nuclear technology www.ms.now/news/trump-i...

From Paul Waldman, an occasional (and much appreciated) contributor to The Early Edition... www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-cabi...

Leaders around the world appear to be struggling to respond to an American administration that is no longer constrained by pretending to care about human lives, the law, or the cost of its hubris. trib.al/1Cwdk19