Bulletins and News Discussion from February 10th to February 16th, 2025 - There Is Noboa Alternative

President Trump said on Monday that he could cut aid to Jordan and Egypt if they refused his demand to permanently take in most Palestinians from Gaza, substantially increasing the pressure on key allies in the region to back his audacious proposal to relocate the entire population of the territory in order to redevelop it.
The president also said from the White House that if Hamas did not release all the remaining Israeli hostages by “12 o’clock on Saturday,” the cease-fire agreement with Israel should be canceled.
“All hell is going to break out,” Mr. Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office, while acknowledging that the choice over ending the cease-fire ultimately fell to Israel.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/us/politics/trump-jordan-egypt-gaza-development.html
Kinda wild that the Americans elected this guy all by themselves and he's going to just destroy their own country over the next four years and no one else has to lift a finger - and they love him for it.. Like who would have guessed when Survivor aired in 2000 that a reality TV star would eventually unravel the whole place. It just blows my mind to watch this in real time.
- The president also said from the White House that if Hamas did not release all the remaining Israeli hostages by “12 o’clock on Saturday,” the cease-fire agreement with Israel should be canceled.
  “All hell is going to break out,” Mr. Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office, while acknowledging that the choice over ending the cease-fire ultimately fell to Israel.
  The first serious challenge to Trump's madman diplomacy, where he threatens the opponent with overwhelming force if they don't provide some concessions. Let's see if this will work with Hamas, Israel, Qatar, Iran, etc. This is all about leverage here, Hamas is not going to give up all the remaining hostages, and thus all the leverage they have, until they get some guarantees with regards to phase 3 of the ceasefire, the rebuilding and governance of Gaza. Hamas wants to remain in a position where they have some leverage, and with Israel withdrawing from the Netzarim Corridor for the start of phase 2 of the ceasefire and giving that up, this is the only opportunity Hamas has to be in this position where they have this much sway, so they will make use of it. I just hope this doesn't end up escalating to where Gaza is getting bombed again...
- cut aid to Egypt
  This is not what the "realist zionists" want to hear. The US has essentially been paying Egypt off since the Camp David Accords to not fight isntrael and all the US interventions. Egypt has been #2 in US milliary aid for decades because at least they had enough sense to charge a high price for, let's be honest, betraying the rest of the Arab world. But the Egyptian government sees that aid as payment for services rendered, not charity. Cutting that aid will only increase tensions between Egypt and the Zionist entity and could even provoke Egypt into searching for a new ally for its defense needs.
  Not to say Egypt would go to war over this though, they are way too reliant on US equipment to afford that (its like 85% American procurements). Despite that overreliance, Egypt is still not in a situation where they will rapidly collapse if the US ends military aid, so despite the high cost this isn't as much leverage Trump probably thinks it is. Bush and Obama tried yanking on this chain during the Arab spring, when the Egyptian government was on much shakier ground, and Egyptians didn't budge. Nothing came of it because those ghouls knew the US was getting to much out of the aid to cut it over trying to support a color revolution. So I really don't see Egypt moving over this threat. If trump does actually cut the aid, then LMAO I'm sure China will be happy sell whatever Egypt needs replacements for.
  
  Russia could use a new base in the region
  
  Do you think Egypt and Iran would improve relaons if this came to pass?
- That's right, keep pushing till it breaks! Keep pushing until the nothing ever happens memes are banished forever!

jfc is this the new American past time or something.
- not really liking seeing more of this when i have to fly next week
  wish me luck lol
  also how tf does it just veer off
  
  Commercial air carrier operations are a lot more stringently regulated than private jets, if that helps. At least until Muskrat & Co. abolish the FAA.
- ATC IS IMPORTANT

\ https://xcancel.com/MintPressNews/status/1889035808747016366#m
Richard Medhurst arrested again, this time in Austria after literally being accused of being a member of Hamas.
- Even if he were a member of hamas, whatever that means I doubt there's a party card or something, what did he do besides report?
  
  guilt by association
  
  what did he do besides report?
  I never followed him very closely, but as far as I can tell, nothing. At most maybe he did a donation drive or something, but so did a whole lot of people. It's just about trying to silence a prominent voice for Palestine and a ruthless critic of Western empire.
  
  I keep my Hamas membership card in my wallet, right behind my Antifa Supersoldier badge.
  
  He refused to let British cops into his phone and laptop to protect his sources late last year. Terrorism related charges there too.
- Oh shit so he didn't make it to an embassy for asylum afterall?
  If he has even just a brief moment of respite, Medhurst needs to immediately seek asylum in either Ireland or South Africa.
- the OG nazis

I am finding it hard not to catastrophize on the rumblings that the administration may start openly defying court orders. On a domestic front, it seems like a point of no return towards naked fascism.
(NBC News) Legal experts warn of 'constitutional crisis' as JD Vance and Elon Musk question judges' authority over Trump
- Those in power have been legally eviscerating the world for decades, maybe one silver lining of this pivot is that people will stop adhering so much to 'civility' and 'norms' and actually start opposing this kind of thing with real force.
- Given that scotus ruling that the president can just shoot anyone he doesn’t like, they have a point.
- Nah let’s fucking go. The American courts are probably the most reactionary system in existence, they are irredeemably fascist already. Let the whole thing collapse, break all the rules, let’s stomp this stupid fucking constitution into the mud and be done with it
  
  Let the whole thing collapse, break all the rules, let’s stomp this stupid fucking constitution into the mud and be done with it
  Die partei, die partei, let's burn it all down
  And genossen, we'll take back the crown!
- In spite of the position here that power doesn't need to listen to its own rules, and that the state isn't a chess board but rather a tool used to maintain class society, it is still somewhat scary to me that this is happening, because it makes things a bit harder to predict.

TQ+ has been removed from the Stonewall monument
https://www.nps.gov/ston/learn/education/new-index.htm
Given that the major people leading this event were fucking trans it's a fairly egregious bit of erasure.
I'm disgusted with calling these "LGB" flags too. They have no right to try and change the name of the flag, it's not the US gov's flag to change.
This is a real cultural genocide, for any "muh Uighurs" libs still spouting that nonsense.

I'm just going to address the latest Israeli PsyOp that has hit the news media, primarily being spread by the German outlet Bild, and Turkish newspapers. This PsyOp being that Israel has obtained a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb from the United States, and that they plan to use it against Iran's hardened nuclear facilities.
There are two problems with this idea. The first is the idea that the MOAB is a "bunker buster" bomb that can be used for this mission. The truth is that it's not a bunker buster bomb, as the name states it's an air blast bomb, it does not penetrate deeply into the ground before exploding, it actually detonates above the ground. The lightweight aluminium casing of the MOAB is not designed to penetrate anything either. So it cannot be used to strike against deep bunkers in the mountains, such as Iran's nuclear facilities. There appears to be some confusion here, people confusing the huge overpressure effect that can occur when a MOAB is dropped in a valley or an open cave complex (as it was in Afghanistan) with bunker buster/penetrator capabilities.
The second issue is the delivery method. The only way of delivering the MOAB is to fly a modified C-130 transport aircraft directly over the target, and drop it out of the back of the plane. Israel have C-130s, but flying one over Iran would be a suicide mission, it would be shot down instantly. So the MOAB would never reach Iran.
The truth is also, that no such deal for a MOAB has occurred. I managed to track down the primary source of the misinformation that all these articles are quoting, and it's a Fox News segment between Sean Hannity and Steve Witkoff, in which Witkoff says that Israel already has "bunker buster bombs", likely referring to the 2000lb BLU-109. The MOAB is never even mentioned. These articles are completely fabricating and hallucinating something that was never even said.
The bomb that Israel would need to strike Iranian hardened nuclear facilities is the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which is only carried by the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber of the United States Air Force. The United States did use the B-2 and MOP combination in Yemen last year, in a clear warning to Iran. Israel will not get this capability, the United States reserves it for only itself. Which is how the power dynamics play out, meaning Israel cannot "go it alone" with air strikes against Iranian bunkers deep in the mountains. They would require the participation of the United States. Israel can "go it alone" in other ways against Iran as they have shown, but not in that specific capability.
- The second issue is the delivery method. The only way of delivering the MOAB is to fly a modified C-130 transport aircraft directly over the target, and drop it out of the back of the plane. Israel have C-130s, but flying one over Iran would be a suicide mission, it would be shot down instantly. So the MOAB would never reach Iran.
  Never actually knew the delivery of a MOAB is a fucking C-130, that'll be an easy target in a conventional war imo. At least, this system against a conventional enemy is unreliable to say the least, like I can't imagine one or a couple of slow C-130s trying to strike say a Russian grouping with a MOAB, they will never make it. This leads me to believe the MOAB was designed with COIN in mind, to be used against enemies that have little to no way of countering an air force's operations.
  
  The MOAB can trace its origins to the "Daisy Cutter" bombs that were used in Vietnam to clear sections of forests so that helicopters and/or paratroopers could land. It's just a much bigger version of that. Modern day use seems to be for psychological impact against enemies that can't effectively counter it. A weapon of intimidation and anti personnel weapon against large groupings of insurgents.
  
  to be used against enemies that have little to no way of countering an air force's operations.
  Isn't that basically all NATO nations strategy? 'step one: establish air superiority, step two: ???, step three: profit'
- Israeli PsyOps are just so pervasive, they even hit all lots of resistance media outlets. I still remember when the news megathread accurately predicted Israel's attack on Iran (in terms of what Israel would hit and the tactics), then Israeli PsyOps started a few hours before their attack, which drove us all into a panic. It's part of why I created this account, to try find the primary sources of information, post them, and analyse them ourselves, instead of relying on journalists and outlets which don't know their arse from their elbow, are days behind on reporting, use AI LLMs for their research getting key information wrong in the process, etc.
- Also want to add the really depressing truth that if there is any future deal for sending a MOAB to Israel (none exists currently and I don't expect any to materialise in future, but in the very rare case it happens), the target will not be Iran. It would be Gaza or southern Lebanon...
- Surely Iran built their nuclear facility deeper than what they'd expect could be hit with conventional or nuclear weapons
  Next you'll tell me the leader of Hamas is just strolling about Gaza
  
  The MOP is not your ordinary bunker buster bomb, it's a 30 000lb/14 000kg bomb that's only 20% explosive by weight, consisting of just under 6000lbs of plastic bonded explosives. The casing is made of hardened metals like tungsten, and the bomb only explodes when it stops penetrating, or at a certain depth, depending on the fuse used. Early documents on the bomb's design state that it can penetrate over 200ft/60m of reinforced concrete. And each B-2 Spirit stealth bomber carries two of them. No one really knows how far it can penetrate. Nasrallah's bunker in Beirut was destroyed by 2000lb bunker buster bombs called the BLU-109, between 60-80 were dropped on the bunker and surrounding buildings. These bombs can penetrate up to 12ft/4m of reinforced concrete.
  This video shows the impact of a one of these BLU-109 2000lb bunker buster bombs, how it penetrates the earth before exploding. The MOP weighs 15 times more and can penetrate a depth 17 times deeper than the BLU-109.
  Twitter source
  Xcancel mirror
  Now imagine a crater 17 times deeper, that's the penetration capabilities of the MOP...

so trump enacted 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum from ALL countries entering the US
seems to mostly harm canada (and the US itself)

data from USGS
- So these tariffs are now officially ON?
- is he cranky because his team lost or something?
- He did this in his last term IIRC. Don't really understand it. There's possibility A where he thinks this can bring back manufacturing to the US, which is just impossible. Possibility B is he wants to do his "external revenue service" and needs to tariff everything so he can totally abolish income tax, which is also a dumb idea.

Trump cutting USAID funding to South Africa has, unexpectedly, emboldened South Africa in it's legal war against the Apartheid entity, with a combination of a collapsing international law, the end of Phase 1 fast approaching alongside the month of Ramadan and the relations between South Africa and the US at their worst in history, only short of American bombs being pointed towards Gauteng. Trumpet has also gifted isnotreal the infamous GBU-43 MOABs
The main talking points over the last week has been Afriforum's potentially treasonous calls for US "intervention" in South Africa, Trump's segregationist rhetoric levied at the Post-Apartheid state and an actual emerging effort by South Africa to expel the US out of the UN, even taking considerations to work around the expected US veto.
Primarily from Salaamedia and Newzroom Afrika

the Boer,
the settler
- All hail Julius Malema
- an actual emerging effort by South Africa to expel the US out of the UN
  I'm sorry what?
  
  Actually yes, there is a push for South Africa to invoke Article 6 of the UN Charter (Fashbook link to the broadcast)

Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared”
- We are fast approaching a new era when people no longer have to learn anything or to make any important decision when they can simply ask a word prediction black box what to do.
  Funny that so much of science fiction had predicted that humans created super sentient artificial intelligence being and got destroyed, when reality is much more farcical than that: humans start worshipping an autocomplete algorithm that sounded like a real human, and just like in the superstitious past when oracles were consulted, now we let a word prediction algorithm trained on internet garbage to rule our lives.
  
  R E T V R N to making decisions based off the incoherent rambling of a priest tripping their face off of a cocktail of psychedelics instead of the lame autocomplete gibberish robot
  
  humans start worshipping an autocomplete algorithm that sounded like a real human, and just like in the superstitious past when oracles were consulted, now we let a word prediction algorithm trained on internet garbage to rule our lives.
  Skynet.
  Landru.
  
  ChatGPT/Siri for president, 2028
  
  turns out Frank Herbert was fucking cooking with the Butlerian Jihad
- "knowledge workers" i think you mean chatbot enthusiasts
- This is how return to monke.

This is from December, but I only learned of it today. Trump's team has suggested eliminating the FDIC. This would most likely cause an immediate bank run, no? I know I'll be stuffing cash under the mattress the second I hear about the groyper gang making moves on the FDIC, especially with all the other Jenga pieces Trump is carelessly ripping out of the tower.
- There might be a run from smaller banks to larger too big to fail ones. It's difficult to tell.
  In third world countries, deposit insurance is much smaller or non-existant. Most people keep bulk of their savings in the larger banks.
  Even without FDIC, The Fed backstopped even non-bank institution debt in 2008. Will they still do that?
  
  The only things I am relatively certain of are that the Trump admin does not understand how the money printer works, and regardless of that they seem ideologically bent on dismantling any institution that doesn't directly benefit them. I think they would sooner try to bail out only themselves (and close/loyal allies), and leave everyone else SoL. Even if the largest banks can weather a bank run, that's still a lot of people that had their savings in smaller banks that suddenly can't pay for food or shelter. Admittedly, I don't understand enough about the Fed to understand what mechanisms, if any, they may have to prevent this.
  I'm struggling to imagine a scenario where shutting down the FDIC doesn't lead to some form of rapid collapse, so obligatory nothing ever happens
  
  After Rand Paul audits the fed? I doubt it.
  Keep your savings in gold.

Gestapo raided the Education Bookshop in Al-Quds, arresting it's owners Ahmed and Mahmoud Muna, with their detention also just extended by 8 more days. The primary "evidence" to justify arrest is a colouring book from South Africa, titled From the River to the Sea. The cover includes the Al Aqsa Mosque, two variants of the Handala, one Palestinian, the other South African and a cityscape of Johannesburg with the Hillbrow Tower.
This is also the very first arrest made directly as a result of possessing South African material.
Cover of the colouring book in question:
Death to ameriKKKa, Death to isnotreal

By Mondoweiss
Hamas just announced a delay in releasing captives scheduled for next weekend, citing Israel’s obstruction of aid—blocking the entry of tents and rebuilding material into Gaza. Hamas says this obstruction is “a new war” on Gaza, escalating tensions amid the fragile ceasefire deal.
An Israeli official denies these accusations but no official government statement yet. Israel’s war cabinet is set to meet tomorrow, meaning another day of uncertainty. Qatar has warned Israel that blocking humanitarian aid jeopardizes both the second and first phases of the ceasefire deal. The message is clear: aid entry is non-negotiable.
Hamas is likely waiting for mediators to intervene, but ultimately, everything depends on Netanyahu’s real intentions—does he want the deal to collapse? Hamas’s announcement itself isn’t a breach of the deal. But if they fail to announce the names of captives to be released by Friday, that would be a breach.
This move by Hamas could be an escalation to pressure mediators amid Trump’s recent comments about “owning” Gaza and expelling Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israeli war minister Yisrael Katz is calling Hamas’s move a breach and has ordered the army to prepare at maximum alert for “all scenarios.”
Hamas’s bet is that mediators will resolve this before Friday, avoiding the need to take further action. Another Israeli official claims Hamas has been making these accusations for a while. But an Israeli delegation has now left for Doha—suggesting Hamas timed this move to push rebuilding aid to the top of the agenda.
The core issue? Israel is blocking heavy machinery to remove rubble and reconstruction materials, worsening the humanitarian crisis from Israel's genocide. Meanwhile, families of the captives have called on the Israeli government “not to take any measure that would jeopardize the ceasefire and hostage release deal.”
- This bodes poorly for the ceasefire correct?
  
  Israel refusing to honor the ceasefire and repeatedly violating it and ignoring the terms does bode poorly, yes

local Swedish news has been covering THE BOATS and THE CABLES in the baltic sea for months now with a very predictable pattern of headlines
boat discovered; seized on suspicion of cable sabotage; PUTIN'S SHADOW FLEET?
a few days later
boat released; no evidence of cable sabotage found; PUTIN'S SHADOW FLEET?
send more boats please
- Didn't they already admit that they determined that one to be an accident?
  
  the first one, yes
  but if at first you don't succeed, try, try again
  putins shadow fleet HAS to be somewhere around here

https://africanstream.media/burkina-faso-nationalises-all-land/
On 5 February, Burkina Faso Minister of the Economy and Finances Dr. Aboubakar Nacanabo announced all land belongs to the state and foreigners are no longer allowed to hold rural land titles. This is similar to the land reform measures adopted by assassinated socialist Pan-Africanist President Thomas Sankara (1949-87), who nationalised land in Burkina Faso in 1984. Under the counter-revolutionary government of Blaise Compaoré, found guilty in Sankara’s assassination, the government privatised land in 1991.

Last week I joked on how Musk took inspiration from milei now that he's carrying out his crusade against whatever remains of the "New Deal"-ish State. And I can see similarities...
I think "DOGE" is kinda inspired in Argentina's "Ministry of Deregulation and Transformation of the State", an all-powerfull shady institution led by someone who was not directly elected, who is a massive piece of shit, who can intervene anywhere and who has political experience working with previous (failed) administrations, always on the heavy neoliberal side of things. Naturally there are differences, the extent of the "reforms" are going to be different depending on each country given that the US is institutionally and demographically seventy two trillion times bigger than Argentina, so the process of dismantling the State of certain elements is going to be different and will have different effects.
But the principle remains the same: A specific institution was created to spearhead all the efforts to scrap the State and for that task is given ridiculous powers to do so. Both are led by somewhat unelected officials with free reign over anything they desire, neither Elon Musk or Federico Sturzenegger (the guy in charge of the dismantling of the Argentinian State) have clear specific roles within their Governments, they are appointed at the will of their respective Presidents and their actions represent their own will.
The goals are also the same but will have different impacts. In Argentina the goal is to end, once and for all, the massive privatization campaign that began in the 1970s, continued heavily in the 90s, suffered setbacks in the mid 2000s up to 2014 and resumed with various degrees of intensity after. The complete privatization of all "public" aspects of the State is to be carried out by this shady Ministry and they cannot be hold accountable. The same goes for "DOGE": Eviscerate the Federal and "Public" institutions to pave the way for relentless privatization, whether that is education, transportation, infraestructure or energy, you name it.
Whether this actually represents the end of both Argentina and the US as entities remains to be seen, in principle Capitalism at it's core cannot reproduce itself for too long without the State intervening in certain areas, after all, a Ministry of Education is essential, and since both countries are intimatelly tied to Capitalism's very existence, their own existence is therefore in jeopardy. However, perhaps, Capitalism is mutating into something truly hideous and new, it's last mutation, perhaps being the "An"Cap one, before it finally succums once and for all.
death to "israel" btw.
- the last episode of radio war nerd had some good discussion of similar precedent during the reagan years and some secretive government waste/efficiency body that was created in the early 80s. i don't know enough to really compare the two but I appreciated their perspective anyway
- Federico Sturzenegger
  I wonder what his abuelito was up to between 1930-1945
  
  Even worse - he was swiss gasp

Quoting a European lib from a group chat:
Trump wants Greenland because it would be his legacy to annex another country and expand the USA. The fact of the matter is, that such a invasion would also mean occupation duty and having a hostile citizenry that would know how to fight in the ice and snow.
Europeans quite literally think that Greenland, a region with the population of roughly 60k people, is comparable to Afghanistan or Iraq with a population of over 40 million.
I'm convinced that eventually, the US will just waltz in, and Europeans can do nothing but make angry posts about how "Trump can't do that" while he proceeds to do it anyways.
- similarly, there are so many posts on canadian social media from people fantasizing about canadians doing a winter war against american occupiers
  
  tbf this would be awesome if it actually did happen
  problem is, it never will
  
  fantasizing about candians winter war against american occupiers
  They’re fantasizing about repeatedly eating shit and having their asses handed to them? Kind of a weird historical event to base your fantasies on. Canada and Finland both love Nazis, so I guess it tracks.
- Do they even have to waltz in? Can't the U.S., which already has a base, just fly in a few hundred MPs and say "we now occupy"?
- Trump wants Greenland because it would be his legacy to annex another country and expand the USA. The fact of the matter is, that such a invasion would also mean occupation duty and having a hostile citizenry that would know how to fight in the ice and snow.
  replace Trump with the Knesset, Greenland with Palestine and USA with Israel.
  
  OP's point is that it isn't comparable. The Number of people in Greenland are an order of magnitude less than the estimated dead in Palastine. It's not enough people to provide meaningful resistance.
- Trump wants Greenland because it would be his legacy to annex another country and expand the USA. The fact of the matter is, that such a invasion would also mean occupation duty and having a hostile citizenry that would know how to fight in the ice and snow.
  That's the exact kind of comment someone who thinks they're smart but are actually deeply ignorant would make
- Everyone in Greenland lives in the western coastline. You can see it from these maps:
  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Greenland_42.74746W_71.57394N.jpg
  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Greenland_ice_sheet_AMSL_thickness_map-en.png
  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Koppen-Geiger_Map_v2_GRL_1991%E2%80%932020.svg
  The population is small enough that there's a Wikipedia article listing the individuals cities and towns in Greenland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Greenland
  
  Sukkertoppen
- Most of the residents live in 2-3 cities and are semidependent on imports. Life is harsh and most would die if they do a guerilla war in the ice sheets of greenland.

https://t.me/Middle_East_Spectator/15481
Hamas announces that the release of the next batch of Israeli hostages, originally scheduled for Saturday February 15th, will be postponed
This decision comes in response to repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire and obstructions to aid entering Gaza.
- Shoot the fuckers instead
  
  I'm surprised they haven't already.

For this year’s observance of International Environment Day the United Nations is focusing on the plight of forests worldwide. In Haiti, there remains less than one percent tree cover. Most deforestation is caused by the local population’s need for land to farm, wood to build with, and charcoal to cook with. The result has left immense tracks of land bare to the elements, hastened massive soil erosion and increased land slides and flash flooding.
View of a deforested hilltop near Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
©UN Photo/Logan Abassi, 2011-06-07
- Sugar plantations also didn't help. Its sad because Hispaniola was historically a very fertile and populous island.
  
  There are places along the border between Haiti and Dominican Republic where there are parks on the DR side and you can see how lush the island probably was all over

Place your bets regarding: the judges blocking all the Trump orders; Nothing Ever happens y/n?
- They'll ignore the courts as much as they can
- Judge threatened to be fired, possibly successful, then nothing happens.
  
  It will never happen, but man it would be cool to see some Federal Marshalls exchange gunfire with Musk's Blackwater guys. Or even just get really confused, hold each other at gunpoint, and then both sides deflate and give up. Either would be funny.
- Unless the defiances broadly and consistently went against the interests of capital, leading to a business revolt that would force Trump’s hand, I guess the only enforcement mechanism would come down to whatever generals want to stick their neck out for either a future more lucrative political/military-industrial career if successful, or a future book deal if not lol
- I don't know if the administration is going to openly/explicitly defy these court orders at this point, but they will certainly continue to implicitly or "accidentally" ignore them and get less than a slap on the wrist for that.
- It will be dialectical

Fact-checking is a tough business, son!

Preparations underway for visits by Xi to Moscow, by Putin to Beijing — Kremlin
MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. Mutual visits by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to Moscow and Beijing, respectively, are being arranged to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Victory in World War II, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told the media.
A celebration will be held in Moscow on May 9 to mark the anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, while Beijing will host a celebration in September to honor the anniversary of the end of World War II.
"Yes, such visits are in preparation. We attach great importance to the symbolism of these dates, both in remembering those significant events and recognizing the contributions of our countries to the fight against Nazism, as well as to our bilateral relations. This is why we are actively working on these visits," Peskov stated.
Russia’s ambassador to China Igor Morgulov said earlier that Xi Jinping accepted an invitation to take part in celebrations in Moscow on May 9 marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War and in turn invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to China for the celebrations due in early September.

UH OH
Milei accused of scamming supporters as he pushes crypto token
President Javier Milei sparks major controversy after pushing new cryptocurrency token online; Experts warn of potential fraud as '$libra' coin soars in value before becoming worthless in just a few hours.
President Javier Milei caused a major controversy on Friday evening after recommending his followers buy a cryptocurrency token that within hours became worthless. Crypto experts questioned the motives of the head of state, with some suggesting he had either fallen victim or endorsed a so-called “pump and dump” scheme that scammed his supporters. Just after 7pm local time on Friday, Milei posted an enthusiastic endorsement of a new crypto token called ‘$LIBRA,’ informing users on social media of a unique "investment opportunity" on social media.
According to the website promoting the token, it seeks to boost financing for small Argentine companies and entrepreneurs.
Within hours of the post, $LIBRA’s market value reached US$6 billion, roughly equivalent to that of a major Argentine bank.
The token, which lacks liquidity, was at one point worth US$4,978 per token, before crashing to $0.99159 within hours, sending shockwaves through the crypto community and Argentina’s political class. After publishing and posting the message, Milei later confirmed to the Bloomberg Linea website that the initiative ‘is real’ and is based on “pure private financing.”
“The project is a private initiative that aims to help Argentine companies and projects. The currency linked to this project was created in honour of the ideals of freedom and has nothing to do with me or my participation in any way," Milei told the publication. "The project is aimed at Argentine entrepreneurs so that they can apply for funds to finance their projects," he added, stating there is a website where interested parties can register. Milei’s post on social media endorsing the token immediately raised eyebrows, with some speculating that his social media account had been hacked.
However, La Libertad Avanza national deputy Lilia Lemoine later confirmed that the post was genuine, dismissing the hacking theory. “Liberal Argentina is growing! This private project will be dedicated to boosting the growth of the Argentine economy by funding small businesses and entrepreneurs. The world wants to invest in Argentina,” Milei posted, linking to the website https:://vivalalibertadproject(dot)com.
(Not gonna share that shitty ass scam site)
The controversy deepened when Fernando Cerimedo, a key strategist in Milei’s digital media team, expressed frustration over the incident, writing online: “Whoever said this was a great idea should start looking for a place to hide.”
Milei, who previously pushed crypto tokens while running for President, faced instant criticism online. Some speculated that Milei’s behaviour could see him denounced before the courts for fraud.
Liberal economist Carlos Maslatón strongly criticised his former ally, declaring on X: “It’s official — there was no hack, confirmed by his entire inner circle. Milei is directly involved in a crypto fraud. He has crossed all moral boundaries; this post was made to steal. There is no longer any doubt — grounds for impeachment.” Crypto enthusiasts and security analysts also raised the alarm. The organisation BirminghamCyber, which specialises in cybersecurity, speculated: “President Javier Milei’s account may have been compromised to promote a cryptocurrency scam.”
Venezuelan crypto influencer Javier Bastardo simply asked, “Javo, were you hacked?”
The reaction from the Bitcoin community was overwhelmingly negative. Crypto-focused account ‘La Crypta’ warned Milei: “NO JAVOOOOOOO! IT’S WITH BITCOIN! DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO THE SHITCOINS!” Trader Ornella Panizza, a firm supporter of the President who is known as ‘Lady Market’ online, commented: ”‘I want to believe Milei’s account was hacked because LIBRA was a massive scam. Two accounts hold 70 percent of the supply — very suspicious. They need to provide explanations.”
Despite the backlash, some of Milei’s supporters initially defended the move. Political analyst and writer Agustín Laje, a prominent advocate of Milei’s fight against “gender ideology” and “cultural Marxism,” praised the initial post. “Freedom is the foundation of economic growth,” he wrote on X, before quickly deleting the message. At the time of writing, there has been no official government statement clarifying the president’s involvement in the $LIBRA controversy.
This is not the first time Milei has faced allegations related to cryptocurrency scams — he was previously accused of promoting CoinX, engaging with a platform that later led to criminal charges against him. Crypto experts online said that ‘$LIBRA’ is not a conventional cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Ethereum, with decentralised networks and robust security mechanisms. Blockchain specialists in particular also highlighted concerns about its transparency, pointing out that two accounts controlled 70 percent of the token’s total supply — a red flag for potential price manipulation and so-called “pump and dump” schemes.
According to its website, the Viva La Libertad Project operates on the Solana blockchain and offers funding to small businesses, startups and educational initiatives. There is no detail of information about specific requirements or the selection process. The website invites interested parties to complete a Google form to apply for funding, stating that the aim is to channel funding in an "efficient and decentralised" manner. There are no technical details on how the ‘$LIBRA’ token works, nor on the mechanisms for distributing funds.
Not gonna lie but this is an extremely stupid and amateurish mistake.
He's well within impeachment grounds, he indeed broke the law. Do I give a shit about that? No, because the law is made for the working class not for this absolute dipshit.
HOWEVER, it'll be extremely funny if he indeed gets impeached or is forced to resign somehow and his government falls apart BECAUSE OF A CRYPTO SCAM LMFAO. Not on my bingo card for sure. The thing is that several of his own people were completely shat upon by this and might be looking to jump from the ship as quickly as they can. We'll see.
And no he was not hacked. He confirmed he posted this with "good faith" and "didn't know" it was a ponzi scheme and then deleted the original tweet lol. Monday is gonna be an interesting day for sure.

So I've been super sick with the flu since thursday which effectively kept me from sleeping during the night which gave me some time to check out what the germans been up to and really nothing really can do as good a job as the logo they used for one 'politics debate'
Really liking the red white and black there....
Anyways that debate was bad but at least somewhat bearable but there was the Scholz vs Merz debate which basically went like this.
Merz (CDU): There's too many foreigners you haven't been doing enough to send them back!!!!
Scholz (SPD): Ehrm, actually you'll find that no other Bundeskanzler sent back more asylumseekers than me, no one turned them away at the border until I showed up and did it in a grand manner.

Merz: We are spending too much on social security! Our government expenses are out of control and Scholz is not able to cut the excesses because he isn't brutal enough
Scholz: Actually I personally brutalized tons of social security recipients and so what Mr Merz is saying is completely wrong

This has animated a few people to move towards Die Linke so they are now polling around 5% and might make it into government but it won't matter after this debate it becomes clear that a CDU-SPD coalition will probably be what is going to happen as SPD seems proud on being conservative and cruel shitheads.
- German politics
- What even is the logo from/inspired by? It's basically the celtic cross not uncommonly used by fascist/white nationalist groups
  
  My guess would be a cross you make next to a party during the election... or maybe it's supposed to be a target? That said I find it baffling that no one during production pointed out how similar the logo is in it's color scheme with the swastika, and yeah celtic cross is another one that has clear associations for fascists even in Germany.
- Imo SPD will use the poor election result to purge anything even approaching social democraticness in their own ranks and go more right as that seems to have been the play of every party so far.
  
  What is there to purge? Like literally zero.
- Someone asked AI models who to vote in the German election.
  Somewhat surprisingly they all said vote Die Linke. AfD came in last.
  Looking at the individual results, they all answered "Yes!" to the question: "Should Germany keep supporting the Ukraine militarily?"
  
  DeepSeek does NOT understand the core of international geopolitics.
  
  I have a prompt that makes Deepseek marxist. Here is the response I get, even with internet search turned on:

Marco Rubio being called Narco Rubio is still pretty funny lol

H.R.1161 - To authorize the President to enter into negotiations to acquire Greenland and to rename Greenland as "Red, White, and Blueland".
- This is what happened when you have fascism that is based on shopping malls and having a pool in the backyard. Living in a fascist occupation is enough but living under reddit kommissariat is just humiliating
  I can't wait for some stupid American renaming gaza strip as Walmart strip.
  I can't wait in 20 years when the Burgerreich builds bronze statue modeled after Elon's favorite funko pops
  
  real Airstrip 1 hours
  
  Gaza strip mall
- Dear fucking god I thought that had to be a joke
  
  Sponsored by Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA), you couldn't create a more joke of a country
- Deeply unserious country
- That’s Russian flag, no?
  
  DPRK
- I too want to name the massive island after the Dutch flag. Clearly the dutch have been oppressed too long

First
Left-wing presidential candidate @LuisaGonzalezEc denounces anomalies during the counting process and warns that there are about 2,600 vote tally sheets with inconsistencies (this amounts to upwards of 700,000 votes).
- Making some assumptions about that Other vote, and also assuming the indigenous vote would still rather González over Noboa then maybe the center-left will win this time around?
- Everyone's just doing this now huh? He's probably right, it's just funny

Hey look everybody who said the Tik Tok ban was about Israel and the silicon valley pressure wasn't the actual impetus was right
“So we had a bipartisan consensus. We had the executive branch, but the bill was still dead until October 7th. And people started to see a bunch of anti-Semitic content on the platform and our bill had legs again.”

small news but Google maps changed the Gulf of Mexico to gulf of America
But those abroad still see Gulf of Mexico (with gulf of America in brackets lmao)
- Yet all the Ukrainian cities under russia still not use russian names? nor do the recently renamed cities in south africa.
- but wait where are my international rules and norms
- Deeply unserious
  
  now thinking about it , did they do somthing like that before with the gulf of California thats not touching california ?
- they do this with a few things, mainly border disputes which show differently depending on where you are. still pretty fucked
- Not really new, you can see the border move depending of where you are using google map. (ei. Sino-Indian-Pakistan border)
- Renaming it is so stupid. Would Americans assume the Irish sea was named that because Britain decided the Irish should have it? The fact that it's called the Gulf of Mexico implies American hegemonybecause Mexico is treated as the 'other' in the name.

Amazon workers reject union in vote at North Carolina warehouse
Of the 3,276 ballots cast, there were 2,447 votes opposing the union and 829 in favor, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
75% of workers
these people are watching their country fall apart from the inside in real time and yet I still have to hear every day about how the real problem are the Actually Indians taking all the jobs from the typical burger. Then when it comes time to put their money where their mouth is they fold anyway, overwhelmingly so. I have never seen a more inured people.
death to amerika

Bipartisanism wins in Ecuador: Noboa and González head to presidential run-off Hexbear Post
In an unprecedented election, the candidate of the ruling party and the candidate of the Citizen Revolution party monopolized more than 88% of the valid votes, even though there were almost 16 candidates.
Right-wing Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and progressive Luisa González clinched first and second place in the first round of Ecuador’s presidential elections, winning a combined 88% of the valid votes. The two candidates will dispute the Presidency of the Republic on April 13.
Oaxaca Indigenous leader’s killing leaves land defenders’ safety in doubt Hexbear post
Arnoldo Nicolás Romero, a commissioner in Oaxaca’s San Juan Guichicovi municipality, was found shot dead on Jan. 21, hidden behind bushes in a private ranch not far from his community.
After Romero’s death, the Union of Indigenous Communities of the Northern Zone of the Isthmus (UCIZONI) released a statement that condemned his killing and demanded that authorities “promptly” initiate an investigation into his death.
Israel has displaced 40,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, UNRWA says Hexbear Post

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said in a statement on Monday that the number of Palestinians Israel has displaced in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of its ongoing offensive has reached 40,000.
Dubbed “Operation Iron Wall,” the ongoing Israeli military invasion overtook the northern West Bank in mid-January, leading to the forcible displacement of thousands of residents. On February 10, UNRWA said that “the forced displacement of Palestinian communities in the northern West Bank is escalating at an alarming pace.”
- seems American electioneering has done its work. What fucking morons would willingly sacrifice themselves to a neoliberal ghoul.
  After Romero’s death, the Union of Indigenous Communities of the Northern Zone of the Isthmus (UCIZONI) released a statement that condemned his killing and demanded that authorities “promptly” initiate an investigation into his death.
  I have some trust that the government isnt being a piece of shit, because killing leaders of indigenous groups is fucking shitty
  Aaaaaaaaand Israel does a new genocide god fucking dammit

I don't believe in this new Trump-backed peace plan. I think that Putin is playing him in order to increase the pressure in Ukraine internally. There's no middle ground that both sides can kinda agree on. Russia can't permanently end the war without securing the four annexed oblasts, Putin is a laws freak and simply can't sign a deal that permanently leaves "Russian" territories like Zaporozhye, Kramatorsk and Kherson under Ukrainian occupation. Ukraine on the other hand would fall into a civil war if Zelensky signs away any of those cities, or even freezes the war with the current state of the frontline. Even ignoring the whole legality thing for Russia, why sign now when the situation is trending positively? By the end of this year, Russia will probably have a large strong presence on both banks of the Oskil River, a solid foothold in Dnipro Oblast, Pokrovsk probably captured, Lyman and the villages close to Sloviansk probably captured, and possibly even Gulaypole and Orikhiv captured which means a stronger presence closer to Zaporozhye. The sides are very far away from each other, Russia can't consider peace when they're still at least 18 months away from a solid winning position on the battlefield, and Ukraine still isn't desperate enough to sign away non-occupied territory despite all the UKRAINIAN ARMY COLLAPSE SOON videos.
- I personally don't believe in any US led peace deal even though they are conceding sensible things so far. It's a good instinct to have.
  
  Agreement incapable. How many times do we have to teach this lesson
- I have very low expectations as well. At least the yanks are talking to the Russians now which is good and turns the Domesday clock a few seconds back.
  But Russia has made deals with Ukraine and the US before. Look where that got them. There's also the whole point of demilitarisation of the Ukraine which is crucial to Russia but doesn't seem to be part of Trump's offer.
  If you are cynical you could think that a large part of the motivation for Trump to start talking to Russia is to scare Europe to raise their military spending so they can pour it all into the Ukraine.
  
  If you are cynical you could think that a large part of the motivation for Trump to start talking to Russia is to scare Europe to raise their military spending so they can pour it all into the Ukraine.
  That does seem to be working, I heard a former MI6 Ghoul on the radio this morning talking about how Europe need to up it military expenditure now that Trump talking to Putin.
  
  at the very least trump wants to stop having ukraine headaches, he wants to just dump it on the europeans and have them carry a lot more of the burden. america will probably never stop support, especially clandestine CIA shit, but it will likely dwindle to a trickle

@0__0@hexbear.net
I'll answer your question. First, Ecuador was in a state of chaos during the 1990s, which led to the 2000 military coup against the neoliberal government. The coup was orchestrated by far-left military officers and CONAIE (Organization of the Indigenous). Lieutenant Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez took control of the country, tried to install a Chavista-style government, but failed and Gustavo Noboa (the vice-president at the time and father of Daniel Noboa, the current president) took control of the country with the help of right-wing military officers and the US.
Lieutenant Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez was eventually democratically elected in 2003, but he betrayed the left and promoted neoliberalism, which led to a new crisis. Gutiérrez was ousted and his vice-president, Alfredo Palacio, took power. Palacio's economic minister was Rafael Correa. Correa managed to resolve the economic and political crisis and became so popular that he was eventually elected president, governing with a socialist ideology. During Correa's government, the economy was working well, security was also good and a lot of money was spent on education and healthcare. The US attempted a coup in 2010, but Correa destroyed the coup by literally walking into the headquarters of the coup leaders and slapping them in the face, after which the building was stormed by SWAT forces loyal to Correa and Correa supporters.
Correa chose his vice-president as his successor, Lenin Moreno. But then Lenin betrayed Correa and went back to promoting neoliberalism. And then the Ecuadorian right and the US started waging legal war against Correa, who had been exiled to Belgium. All this led to more crisis and chaos in Ecuador, which is currently suffering from a huge crisis of violence.
Second, Idk if the left is going to lose, if the Correaistas convince Leonidas Iza (CONAIE candidate) to support them, theres literally nothing Noboa can do, legally, to win the election.
- But then Lenin betrayed Correa and went back to promoting neoliberalism
- You forgot to mention the CONAIE-Correa split, the CONAIE was very important in getting Lucio Gutiérrez elected and then getting him ousted from the government after he sign an agreement with the IMF pro-privatization, so they are a very important.
  Correa then lost their supported when he introduce a bill to privatize water in ecuador, which led to them doing the same thing they did with the last guy and started the 2015 protests with mass movilizations and general strikes to show their discontent. And since then the split has continue.
  so the question is will Luisa Gonzalez try to gain back the indigenous vote to secure the win or ignore them and try to win with a 1% diference
  
  Yes, theres a lot I left out, like how Ecuador dollarized their economy and other stuff such as the border conflicts with Uribe. If Correa and CONAIE unite again, that would mean the temporary defeat of the Ecuadorian Right, but the new goverment will have to deal with an economic and security crisis, besides the fact there will be US troops in Peru and inside Ecuador.
  
  She supported drilling in the national parks, so I doubt it. She's the lesser of two evils, but hardly interested in preserving the Amazon.
- Iza is a leftist. Gonzalez is not.

North Korean state media denounced Trump's proposal to take over Gaza and relocate Palestinians as 'ludicrous' and accused Washington of extortion
Telegram

From the FT this morning, it's print so can't provide a source. Very grim for Ukraine. "Service guarantees citizenship" type hours.
Ukraine has launched a military recruitment campaign targeting 18- to 24-year-olds... the campaign was announced alongside a promotional video showing a montage of soldiers leaping into action as cash rolls off a printer. While rock music plays, an opening messages declares: 'Change your life in a year.'
Recruits will receive 1mn hryvnia, or about $24,000 paid in installments... recruits will also be eligible for subsidies for rents and mortgages, as well as state funded higher education, and the right to travel abroad after completion of service. Currently, under martial law, Ukraine does not allow men aged 18 to 60 to leave the country. They will be exempt from mobilisation for 12 months after their service.
Trump's national security adviser Michael Waltz said the US would push Ukraine to lower its conscription age to 18.
Ukraine is absolutely fucked in terms of demographics for the next forty years. That ad sounds horrific. What a disaster this war has been for a generation.

More US military news, this time an aircraft carrier ran into a container ship: USS Harry S. Truman Collides With Merchant Vessel Off Egypt

Elon Musk-Led Group Makes $97.4 Billion Bid for Control of OpenAI
https://www.wsj.com/tech/elon-musk-openai-bid-4af12827
Archive is acting up for me so no archive link
- Archived link
- So is this like Twitter, Musk overpaying at the peak? A sign of the top?

Some videos for today from Russia’s special military operation.
Russian FSB recently arrested a Neo-Nazi that attempted recruiting for the Kiev regime’s Nazi “Azov Battalion” in Moscow (unsurprisingly, his body was plastered with one million Nazi tattoos): https://odysee.com/@Support4Z:b/%F0%9F%93%BD%EF%B8%8F-A-%F0%9F%87%AC%F0%9F%87%A7-%F0%9F%87%AB%F0%9F%87%B7,--An-Azov-supporter-who-was-trying-to-persuade-Russian-military:5
Russian drones destroyed Kiev regime armored vehicles inside a military warehouse: https://odysee.com/@Support4Z:b/%F0%9F%93%BD%EF%B8%8F-A-%F0%9F%87%AC%F0%9F%87%A7-%F0%9F%87%AB%F0%9F%87%B7,--Destruction-of-Ukie-militants'-equipment-in-Kharkiv-region:f
A Russian ground drone destroyed a Kiev regime fortified position: https://odysee.com/@Support4Z:b/%F0%9F%93%BD%EF%B8%8F-A-%F0%9F%87%AC%F0%9F%87%A7-%F0%9F%87%AB%F0%9F%87%B7,--Courier-robotic-ground-drone-sneaks-inside-a-Ukie-bunker!:9
And a special bonus picture -- the dictator Zelensky has become less popular in the US: https://news-pravda.com/img/20250210/536ad608efbd5a66fbb65d3ba3dfaa5d_o.jpg
- That second video is incredible. What a payload those drones carried for their size. Also curious what happened to leave the doors battered and opened

Mayor of Reykjavík dissolves coalition on a whim

We could get a wholly leftist city council because of this
- Reykjavík is basically all of Iceland, so thats like almost a leftist country.
  
  per capita, the only metric that matters!

Hexbear.net's domain is being auctioned as we speak
- chapo.chat and shrekland.net still working
  
  What's up, chapo.chat gang check in.
  Mods/Admins, what's up? Do we need to pony up to buy the domain? I could chip in a few buckaroos if necessary.
  
  Shitbird legacy lives on 😢
  
  shrekland has fallen
- This is indirect proof that Hexbear is part of the USAID psyop program being threatened by DOGE funding cuts.
- This is capitalism's fault
- does anyone understand how this works, would the domain be instantly put up for auction after one missed payment or something?
  is it going to be stuck in limbo for at least a week?
- That's fucking wild, don't you just love capitalism?

EXCLUSIVE: Trump Is Starving the National Endowment for Democracy
https://archive.is/zXpNm
- oh no
  
  The NED is starving and you don't care?
- I love reading this, it’s like candy to me. Yum yum give me more
- lol the egg man is crying
- I wonder how they'll reconsolidate all the same activities under agencies more directly under executive control. I hope there is some sweet branding that comes out of this, like space force.
  
  sweet branding that comes out of this, like space force.
  Decades old meme, take it or leave it.
  PEPE -> Party for Equal Protection on Earth or some bs like that.

What does the future even hold for Ukraine? After negotiations and after western plunder, will Ukraine ever recover? After 20 or 30 years will it still look the same? Are the Ukrainian people like... hyperfucked?

On Monday, President Javier Milei asked Sonia Cavallo, daughter of former Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo, who served as Argentina's ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), to resign. The 51-year-old woman had been appointed in April 2024 despite not residing in the country.
Hours earlier, Domingo Cavallo had been called "unpresentable" by Javier Milei, after raising questions about the government's exchange rate scheme. Cavallo was quickly added to the list of economists denounced by Javier Milei, which includes Carlos Melconian, Ricardo López Murphy and Roberto Cachanosky, among others.
“Domingo Cavallo is often referred to as one of Milei’s mentors. In La Libertad Avanza they insist that it was he who sent Kikuchi to the team, as a kind of support or blessing,” says Juan Luis González in his book El loco.
However, a few months after Javier Milei took office as president, Cavallo began to make some criticisms about the economic direction. In May, Cavallo questioned the fact that he continued to accumulate reserves, although "not to intervene in the market but to feel comfortable with a greater liberalization of the exchange market," amid a slowdown in the rise of prices.
These comments unleashed the fury of Javier Milei, who was quick to call his former idol an "unpresentable." "How is he going to make the dollar go up if I'm taking away all the pesos that are floating around? The dollar has to fall like a piano. I'm going to tell him, especially the unpresentable Cavallo," said the President this Monday, in an interview on A24.
Lmao
Imagine losing you job because of a facebook post your dad made

Another one. A US Navy EA-18G Growler has crashed in the San Diego Bay.

Resistance fighters don captured uniforms and Tavor rifles during the prisoner release

Editors note: I hate Israeli guns. Plastic dogshit

It's all chump change for them, but it's still pretty funny Trump insist on Musk paying him chump change:
https://xcancel.com/MayadeenEnglish/status/1890182635479302452
Elon Musk's X has agreed to pay Donald Trump about $10 million to settle a lawsuit after the platform banned Trump over inflammatory posts during the January 6 riots, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Got this spam text from the Democratic Party, but it has a punchline:
BREAKING: Pete Buttigieg is considering running for the open Michigan Senate seat!
This is a MUST WIN SEAT if we want any chance of winning back the Senate.
𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞?
Elect Black Dems
I guess Buttigieg is black now.

Scientists Warn Trump's NIH Cuts Will Drop 'Atomic Bomb' On Health Research https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-nih-cuts-science_n_67aa3b53e4b0ade4a9a36a1e

Trump on Truth Social in the past few hours
I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects. We both reflected on the Great History of our Nations, and the fact that we fought so successfully together in World War II, remembering, that Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we, likewise, lost so many! We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together. But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, "COMMON SENSE." We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other's Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now. I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful. Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end. No more lives should be lost! I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House. I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!
- that Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we, likewise, lost so many!
  "so many" doing a lot of heavy lifting here, try like 1% of what Russia lost
  
  Yeah, disgusting revisionist history.
- tl;dr:
  
  we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation
  lmao
- lol hell yeah
  
  Anything to end this stupid war.

Two weeks ago I posted this:
A host at a German public broadcaster allegedly had visceral reaction of disgust, when a guest, an Israeli-German cyber-security professor, said her name was "from Israel". First of all, there is no such thing as being "from Israel", and what's an Israeli name anyway?
Only a Zionist would answer this way, I thought, and yeah, she has written an article about how "Israel must also defend itself on the Internet".
The host is probably going to get fired, she's Turkish-German so they'll count that against her.
So the update is: The broadcaster (hr) hired a law firm to investigate, and they interviewed everyone who was there, looked at all the video footage, and even hired a lip reader for the parts with no audio. They concluded that the allegations are untrue and professor Schulmann recanted some of her allegations and remarks. Source: tagesschau
They do frame it as a misunderstanding. Looks like she's not getting fired.

The situation in Lebanon, with regards to the the Iranian Mahan Air flight being denied permission to land in Beirut and Lebanese passengers being stuck in Tehran, has reached a stalemate. Iran has refused any plans by Lebanon to send their own Lebanese flag carrier Middle Eastern Airlines planes to Tehran, to repatriate the stranded Lebanese passengers. This has led to ongoing protests by pro Hezbollah groups around the airport in Beirut, with the Lebanese military firing tear gas at protestors, and the burning of a UN vehicle by the protestors, which was condemned by Hezbollah. Hezbollah have also called for another protest today.
Burning of UN vehicle, twitter source
Xcancel mirror
Tear gas fired at protestors, twitter source
Xcancel mirror
The reasons behind this are clear and revolve around Lebanese sovereignty and the continued survival of Hezbollah and the resistance, as the ceasefire draws to a close on February 18th, and as Hezbollah will announce their future plans at Nasrallah's funeral on February 23rd. As reported earlier, Mahan Air is an Iranian airline with close links to the Iranian military and revolutionary guards. Israel does not want any more Mahan Air flights to land in Beirut and wants to cut Lebanon off from Iranian influence. Mahan Air is an easy target for such an action due to the aforementioned links, and denying these flights is a way for Israel to cause internal chaos in Lebanon. The Lebanese government is complying with this because they in effect have no sovereignty here. Israel has threatened to shoot down any Mahan Air flights that attempt to land in Beirut, and the Lebanese government, chaired by their new president, has no plans to resist or call their bluff. Iran obviously does not want to accept this situation and are thus refusing Lebanese repatriation flights. Hezbollah also has not responded with any armed resistance as of yet, only calling for peaceful civilian protests.
All in all it looks like Israel is tightening it's grip on Hezbollah, the new Lebanese government is going full USA puppet mode, and Iran is not accepting this state of affairs.

Sam Altman says OpenAI bid is sign of Elon Musk's 'insecurity' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3vSkHAHIs4
- Somewhat funny that American AI development is currently being delayed because those two fuckheads hate each other on a personal level.
- I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
  yewtu.be
  inv.nadeko.net
  yt.artemislena.eu
  piped.video

Hamas Postpones Hostage Handover Due to Israeli Violations - Telesur English
- Update: Hamas has announced in a statement that the ceasefire will continue after addressing Israeli violations with Qatari mediators. They discussed the entry of tents, heavy equipment, medical supplies, and fuel, suggesting that Israel may have conceded to their pressure.
  Telegram
  
  Looks like my comments about this being about leverage were correct. In the current moment, with Israel withdrawing from the Netzarim Corridor and giving up their leverage over Hamas to start phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement, this meant that Hamas had the most leverage over Israel that they'd ever get. It was/is the perfect opportunity for Hamas to pause the ceasefire and extract more concessions from Israel. Also what's unsaid is that Egypt has presented plans, including to Trump and the United States, on phase 3 of the ceasefire, the reconstruction of Gaza. So that has also been achieved, there are now concrete talks around phase 3. I think that Trump actually will also be happy with this, but for a different reason. I theorise that Trump openly talking about occupying Gaza is not a serious ask, but a way to pressure the Arab regimes in the region to come up with their own plan for reconstructing Gaza. And this appears to be working.
  Also it was said that Steve Witkoff flew to the region to negotiate with the mediators of the ceasefire and get the deal back on track. Witkoff appears to be emerging as an effective negotiator, he was the one that got this ceasefire deal over the line in the first place, he flew on his personal plane to Moscow to start negotiations with Russia a few days ago, and now he helps get the ceasefire back on track. Definitely someone to watch out for, if he arrives in your country it means that serious talks are starting.

In Finland news:
Orpo expressed gratitude for Finland's unwavering support for Ukraine, attributing it to a shared historical experience.
You mean both are/were nazis?
Bonus news:
Nato's Forward Land Forces (FLF) will be stationed in Rovaniemi and Sodankylä, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen (NCP) confirmed at the Nato defence ministers' meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
"As far as Finland's presence in Nato is concerned, things are progressing well," Häkkänen stated.
So Saamenmaa (known as lapland to colonizers) is the place where these troops will go, right next to the Arctic. Further eroding the rights of the indigenous peoples who live there.

Trump Floats Deal With Russia, China to Cut Defense Spending
“One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia,” Trump said. “And I want to say, ‘let’s cut our military budget in half.’ And we can do that. And I think we’ll be able to do it.”
First let me say that he's likely bullshitting here, but I remember someone here theorizing that Trump would give up the US's world hegemon status relatively peacefully. Someone else also said they'd believe it only of he started closing military bases.

Shit is going down in Beirut:
https://xcancel.com/AryJeay/status/1890104829198102895
🇮🇷🇱🇧Lebanese Pilgrims Stuck in Tehran After Beirut Denied their Entry
Normal Lebanese civilians have been stuck in Tehran IKA airport after Beirut refused to receive their Iranian flight.
Ali Qobeissi, who was leading the religious tourism group, told Al-Akhbar that no Lebanese official has reached out to assist them, and passengers cannot afford alternative tickets via a third country.
Iran took the initiative and covered their hotel stay as they await a resolution, now postponed until Monday. Qobeissi urged the Lebanese state to intervene, emphasizing that their trip was solely religious and refuting allegations of carrying funds for Hezbollah or reconstruction.
Meanwhile, large demonstrations have gathered near Beirut Airport, the roads leading to the airport have been blocked with burning tires in protest.
The new Lebanese Minister of Public Works, Fayez Rasamni, was the one who issued the order, with prior approval and knowledge of Lebanese PM, Nawaf Salam.
Reason? This comes 1 day after Israeli IOF spox Avichay Adraee’s tweeted claims about Iran using the airport to transfer funds to Hezbollah…
This is ridiculous.