22 votes

Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 10

This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

65 comments

  1. [6]
    DefinitelyNotAFae
    (edited )
    Link
    House Republican budget proposals cuts taxes by over 4 trillion and spending by 2 trillion Including major cuts to Medicaid - that they claim should only target "Fraud" but are too large for that...

    House Republican budget proposals cuts taxes by over 4 trillion and spending by 2 trillion

    Including major cuts to Medicaid - that they claim should only target "Fraud" but are too large for that

    My partner receives Medicaid waiver benefits. These are the extra home supports for someone who would need nursing home care without them. Without that we wouldn't have an accessible bathroom, a personal assistant who helps him out during the week while I'm at work, and a ramp for our door. We probably wouldn't be able to keep this house. We're not married due to the need for these services, and that means he also receives SNAP, also on the chopping block. SNAP funding means we can afford to buy more prepared/ready to eat meals which are easier for him to make for himself (especially if the PA isn't here to help with cooking). If you haven't cooked from a wheelchair, his first ham sandwich took him 45 minutes. He can do it faster now but some nights he has no energy, or I don't, because caretaking is exhausting. We could live without SNAP, but the extra money from my paycheck and his disability goes to paying for the medical supplies that aren't covered already (and the covered ones would also be at risk). And it's not like groceries have gotten cheaper.

    We literally can't afford to get married or he'd lose the Medicaid assistance for Medicare (including prescription drug coverage assistance) We also cannot afford to lose the Medicaid waiver money or for serious Medicaid cuts to impact his ability to get therapy, or a new wheelchair, etc. All of that care keeps him from dying of a wound or infection and is still cheaper than a nursing home and his quality of life is better.

    This feels like the thing happening under the radar and I'm going to at least try to call my congressperson who is a trumper. And my senators who aren't. Idk. I'm genuinely very, very worried about where this goes, and even if my partner wasn't one of the people at risk. Disabled people are an easy target, much like trans people, and history bears that out too.

    17 votes
    1. [5]
      TheRtRevKaiser
      Link Parent
      I work in this general field and while I don't have full insight into the financials of medicaid in my state, I feel pretty certain that if these kinds of cuts go through medicaid will collapse in...

      I work in this general field and while I don't have full insight into the financials of medicaid in my state, I feel pretty certain that if these kinds of cuts go through medicaid will collapse in my state and probably others as well. People will die

      6 votes
      1. [4]
        DefinitelyNotAFae
        Link Parent
        I worked for, ironically, the bureau within our dept that manages Medicaid waivers in Illinois when I was in grad school. Without reading the budget, the things likely at risk are the "extra'...

        I worked for, ironically, the bureau within our dept that manages Medicaid waivers in Illinois when I was in grad school. Without reading the budget, the things likely at risk are the "extra' costs. The federal government reimburses states 50% typically for Medicaid. But for certain things like Medicaid waivers, they either have temporary or sometimes permanent increased % matches. So I think the waivers are high risk, especially when they don't acknowledge they keep people out of the hospital or nursing homes.

        States that expanded their Medicaid eligibility with the ACA could feel cuts if the feds stop matching for those folks, and that's been targeted explicitly.

        They're focused on "fraud and waste" but also want to impose a work requirement, so disabled people who haven't been approved for disability, stay at home parents, and people coming out of prison are all vulnerable there. (Getting my parolees into their prescribed meds, especially psych meds, right after release was key to them doing well, without Medicaid that won't happen. )

        Cutting coverage reverts a lot of care to the ER, which is more expensive.

        The House and Senate proposals are different and so I don't know if it's worth me digging into it all, but I'm already exhausted.

        8 votes
        1. [3]
          TheRtRevKaiser
          Link Parent
          Yeah, any cuts are going to hurt vulnerable people. My state is close to 70% FMAP so if there are substantial cuts it will be a huge deal. And I don't trust any talk about Fraud and Waste coming...

          Yeah, any cuts are going to hurt vulnerable people. My state is close to 70% FMAP so if there are substantial cuts it will be a huge deal. And I don't trust any talk about Fraud and Waste coming from Republicans.

          6 votes
          1. [2]
            DefinitelyNotAFae
            Link Parent
            Agreed, I just want to raise awareness on this as I think it's something pressure might make them cave on. There's probably much more that will stress me out too

            Agreed, I just want to raise awareness on this as I think it's something pressure might make them cave on.

            There's probably much more that will stress me out too

            2 votes
            1. TheRtRevKaiser
              Link Parent
              Absolutely. I've already contacted my representatives about it. Medicaid is a lightning rod so hopefully enough pressure will make them back down.

              Absolutely. I've already contacted my representatives about it. Medicaid is a lightning rod so hopefully enough pressure will make them back down.

              2 votes
  2. [6]
    boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    The save act would disenfranchise millions including married women and others who changed their names but not birth certificates
    16 votes
    1. [5]
      DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      It's another game of "is the bigotry (the disenfranchisement of 69 million women) the point or an accident" and the fact that I have to ask the question of whether they're stupid or that bigoted...

      It's another game of "is the bigotry (the disenfranchisement of 69 million women) the point or an accident" and the fact that I have to ask the question of whether they're stupid or that bigoted and I'm not sure of the answer really says more than anything else.

      12 votes
      1. [4]
        boxer_dogs_dance
        Link Parent
        The 'bigotry' also works to their political advantage, so it's all mixed up.

        The 'bigotry' also works to their political advantage, so it's all mixed up.

        4 votes
        1. [3]
          DefinitelyNotAFae
          Link Parent
          Well for sure, they've both explicitly said that women shouldn't vote and explicitly stated their goal is to disenfranchise black people during previous voting law changes. But they also could...

          Well for sure, they've both explicitly said that women shouldn't vote and explicitly stated their goal is to disenfranchise black people during previous voting law changes.

          But they also could just not have considered that women change their names.
          The worst guessing game!

          3 votes
          1. [2]
            boxer_dogs_dance
            Link Parent
            Since persistent gender gaps in voting exist, I doubt Republican politicians and political operatives haven't considered strategies to suppress women's votes. But Republican moves this year have...

            Since persistent gender gaps in voting exist, I doubt Republican politicians and political operatives haven't considered strategies to suppress women's votes.

            But Republican moves this year have seemed extremely careless about the details and indifferent to possible consequences, so I guess I agree with you.

            6 votes
            1. DefinitelyNotAFae
              Link Parent
              Sorry to have to share the worst game with you

              Sorry to have to share the worst game with you

              4 votes
  3. [15]
    DefinitelyNotAFae
    Link
    So, how much is Canada preparing for the US to do something stupid? Trump’s invasion threats violate international law: Canadian ambassador Trump's Canada takeover threat 'a real thing,' Trudeau...

    So, how much is Canada preparing for the US to do something stupid?

    Trump’s invasion threats violate international law: Canadian ambassador

    Trump's Canada takeover threat 'a real thing,' Trudeau warns

    Trump's national security adviser: 'I don't think there's any plans to invade Canada'

    “Really, what you’re seeing is a reassertion of American leadership in the Western Hemisphere, from the Arctic all the way down to the Panama Canal,” Waltz said in an interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, adding: “And that’s what we’re talking about, from Greenland, to Arctic security to the Panama Canal coming back under the United States. America has avoided our own hemisphere — where we have the energy, the food and the critical minerals — for way too long, and you’re seeing a reassertion of President Trump’s leadership.”
    Asked whether his push to make Canada the 51st state is a "real thing" during a taped interview with Fox News' “Special Report” that aired ahead of the Super Bowl, Trump said, "Yeah, it is."

    Because idk, it feels like we're going to do something stupid.

    10 votes
    1. [9]
      PuddleOfKittens
      Link Parent
      I wonder if the aggressive stance is an attempt to make Canada increase their military budget? Right now, Canada spends the least on military out of everyone in NATO. This is because Canada has no...

      I wonder if the aggressive stance is an attempt to make Canada increase their military budget?

      Right now, Canada spends the least on military out of everyone in NATO. This is because Canada has no reason to bother - in the unlikely event that Canada is invaded, the US will defend them, because anyone who occupies Canada could then invade the USA.

      1 vote
      1. boxer_dogs_dance
        Link Parent
        I don't think Trump calling Canada a potential 51st state is a clever move to shift their internal policy on defense contributions for NATO. I think Canada is right to treat this as a threatened...

        I don't think Trump calling Canada a potential 51st state is a clever move to shift their internal policy on defense contributions for NATO.

        I think Canada is right to treat this as a threatened anschluss equivalent. Trump doesn't have the imagination to notice that with the very long contiguous border and no language barrier, there would very likely be an insurgency that crosses the border.

        8 votes
      2. [7]
        DefinitelyNotAFae
        Link Parent
        I don't really think that's it, personally. I think it's just a power move from a wannabe Putin. But threatening your "allies" to make them spend more on their military is a stupid idea if you...

        I don't really think that's it, personally. I think it's just a power move from a wannabe Putin. But threatening your "allies" to make them spend more on their military is a stupid idea if you want to ever have allies.

        4 votes
        1. [6]
          PuddleOfKittens
          Link Parent
          Maybe Trump isn't aware of the strategy, but someone behind the scenes is manipulating him to do specific Trump-like things that just happen to benefit the administration.

          Maybe Trump isn't aware of the strategy, but someone behind the scenes is manipulating him to do specific Trump-like things that just happen to benefit the administration.

          1 vote
          1. [5]
            DefinitelyNotAFae
            Link Parent
            I don't think that pissing off Canada actually benefits the administration. So I don't think Trump is being manipulated into pissing off Canada.

            I don't think that pissing off Canada actually benefits the administration. So I don't think Trump is being manipulated into pissing off Canada.

            1. [4]
              PuddleOfKittens
              Link Parent
              If pissing off Canada results in Canada putting more money into NATO, then that at least benefits the military-industrial complex.

              If pissing off Canada results in Canada putting more money into NATO, then that at least benefits the military-industrial complex.

              1. [3]
                DefinitelyNotAFae
                Link Parent
                I don't think that's the original premise anymore. And you don't put money into NATO.

                I don't think that's the original premise anymore. And you don't put money into NATO.

                1. [2]
                  PuddleOfKittens
                  Link Parent
                  Putting it into their military, same thing. Maybe the military a industrial complex is a different premise, but I brought it up in response to the "helpful to the administration", which would...

                  Putting it into their military, same thing.

                  Maybe the military a industrial complex is a different premise, but I brought it up in response to the "helpful to the administration", which would similarly be that different premise.

                  1. DefinitelyNotAFae
                    Link Parent
                    But it isn't the same thing and I don't think the administration actually wants Canada to build up its military. And it's not clear to me that they have. My point is i still don't think that's the...

                    But it isn't the same thing and I don't think the administration actually wants Canada to build up its military. And it's not clear to me that they have.

                    My point is i still don't think that's the purpose of mocking our ally. If so it's a great way to lose an ally (and as far as I can tell, the tariffs got delayed due to actions that Trudeau had already announced so they're not really getting concessions).

    2. [6]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [3]
        snake_case
        Link Parent
        I did ponder on what an expansionist dictatorship would look like earlier today. We’re one Reichstag fire away from Trump declaring marital law and locking the whole country down. If it goes...

        I did ponder on what an expansionist dictatorship would look like earlier today.

        We’re one Reichstag fire away from Trump declaring marital law and locking the whole country down.

        If it goes anything like the invasion of Poland, there won’t be any people left to mount any kind of rebel movement.

        I just have to hope that there are some things that the US military is unwilling to do.

        4 votes
        1. [2]
          boxer_dogs_dance
          Link Parent
          Canada is fucking huge. And a lot of it is wilderness. Some of that wilderness Trump wants to exploit for minerals. Unlike Poland, Canada now has time to prepare

          Canada is fucking huge. And a lot of it is wilderness. Some of that wilderness Trump wants to exploit for minerals.

          Unlike Poland, Canada now has time to prepare

          4 votes
          1. snake_case
            Link Parent
            Thats true, this is probably the only time I’ll ever be thankful that all he does is flap his beak

            Thats true, this is probably the only time I’ll ever be thankful that all he does is flap his beak

      2. [2]
        DefinitelyNotAFae
        Link Parent
        Oh it's absolutely the worst idea, but also I could see him going for a Putin and trying to take a chunk, or blockading Panama, or idek what with Greenland. It's the chaos sure, but the impression...

        Oh it's absolutely the worst idea, but also I could see him going for a Putin and trying to take a chunk, or blockading Panama, or idek what with Greenland.

        It's the chaos sure, but the impression I have from Canadians I'm seeing on social media is where they're taking the threat seriously. So I'm just trying to figure out how accurate that vibe is.

        1 vote
        1. boxer_dogs_dance
          Link Parent
          I deleted my original comment because this has the potential to go live and hurt the canadians here. My theoretical hot takes have the potential to be unintentionally hurtful. IMHO Canada should...

          I deleted my original comment because this has the potential to go live and hurt the canadians here. My theoretical hot takes have the potential to be unintentionally hurtful.

          IMHO Canada should absolutely be taking this seriously. Trump has few checks this term unless the Senate decides to throw him out.

          4 votes
  4. [8]
    DefinitelyNotAFae
    (edited )
    Link
    'He's Building a Concentration Camp': Fears Grow as Images Emerge of Offshore Prison at Gitmo (This article did an excellent job of collecting several different reports, so I'm linking most/all of...

    'He's Building a Concentration Camp': Fears Grow as Images Emerge of Offshore Prison at Gitmo
    (This article did an excellent job of collecting several different reports, so I'm linking most/all of them directly as well.)

    Fears are growing that the offshore U.S. detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, are an ominous sign of what President Donald Trump has in store as he further disregards the rule of law and normalizes actions that previously would have been unthinkable or faces immediate, bipartisan opposition in Congress.

    After the first pictures emerged Saturday of still unidentified persons transferred to the island from the U.S. mainland by immigration officials, progressive journalist Nathan Robinson was among those raising the alarm, accusing Trump of "building a concentration camp and deliberately putting it where it is hardest to monitor or enforce the law."

    Questions being asked by civil/immigrant rights groups:

    In addition, the groups demanded to know:

    • The immigration status of the ten noncitizens detained there
    • Who does the government intend to transfer to and detain at Guantánamo, including what criteria, legal or otherwise, the administration is or will be using to decide who to transfer and detain at Guantánamo
    • Which government agency has custody of the transferred noncitizens at Guantánamo
    • What authority is the government invoking to transfer noncitizens from the United States to Guantánamo and what authority is the government invoking to hold them at Guantánamo
    • The length of time that the government will be holding these noncitizens at Guantánamo and plans for them after

    It's also worth noting that per the NYT reporting cited in here, Noem is suggesting this is where the lower risk "offenders" would be placed. What happened to this being only where the "worst of the worst" got sent? That was abandoned very quickly.

    The article also cites this Slate Interview

    And even Auschwitz—keep in mind that it was 1933 when Hitler came to power and they started with concentration camps right out of the gate. So within the first weeks, Dakau is opened, though not quite in its final form, but it is already a camp and it takes almost a decade to get to even this final solution. And so, yes, absolutely, the Holocaust as we know it, as we remember it, has never been repeated. Nothing has come close to that. But you do not get to the death camps without having several years of Auschwitz, of Buchenwalds, of those beforehand.

    Trump’s ‘mass deportation’ reality TV show is both fake and incredibly dangerous

    If the president needs his phony war against a nonexistent border invasion to distract the American heartland from the coming evisceration of government services, the cruelty will become a bigger and bigger point."

    7 votes
    1. [7]
      heraplem
      Link Parent
      I think it will be impossible to move the public opinion needle on this one until the photos of abuses start coming out. Unlike most of the random shit that Trump/Musk have done in the last three...

      I think it will be impossible to move the public opinion needle on this one until the photos of abuses start coming out. Unlike most of the random shit that Trump/Musk have done in the last three weeks (JFC), this is what Trump voters ostensibly voted for.

      I do think that they essentially want the impossible: cruelty-free mass deportations. When the cruelty becomes too much, they will turn. (I think.)

      5 votes
      1. Promonk
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Sadly, I think you're mistaken. I think what Trump voters want is more money in their pockets and a higher standard of living, and they've been convinced that immigrants and the Democratic Party...

        Sadly, I think you're mistaken. I think what Trump voters want is more money in their pockets and a higher standard of living, and they've been convinced that immigrants and the Democratic Party are the ones keeping them from that. I think many see the cruelty as just desserts, when they consider it at all; to them, it's righteous retribution for having robbed them of their due.

        So what happens when the money doesn't come and their standard of living plummets due to Republican incompetence and greed? Do you think that will tear away the veil, or do you think it'll drive them harder into inhumane vengeance? The latter seems much more likely to me. I think their desperation will grow, and they'll turn more and more to cruelty, hatred and violence, because in a sick sort of way, that's the easier path for them. Anything else will require introspection, and a willingness to look critically at their golden calves. If they were willing to do that, they wouldn't be the people they are.

        7 votes
      2. [5]
        DefinitelyNotAFae
        Link Parent
        So many people have been exalting in the cruelty, that I'm not sure, and that's depressing.

        So many people have been exalting in the cruelty, that I'm not sure, and that's depressing.

        5 votes
        1. [4]
          nukeman
          Link Parent
          The hardcore MAGA voters, maybe. But the ones who were wavering but swung toward Trump because they thought Harris was weak on immigration, most would likely take issue with cruelty.

          The hardcore MAGA voters, maybe. But the ones who were wavering but swung toward Trump because they thought Harris was weak on immigration, most would likely take issue with cruelty.

          1 vote
          1. [3]
            DefinitelyNotAFae
            Link Parent
            I'm not sure I believe there are that many of them. I see far too many comments wanting worse harm to be done to immigrants - on relatively "normal" sites - that I'm not a particularly hopeful...

            I'm not sure I believe there are that many of them. I see far too many comments wanting worse harm to be done to immigrants - on relatively "normal" sites - that I'm not a particularly hopeful person.

            Someone who only pivoted to Trump due to immigration would be a pretty slim number IMO, even if that's what they claim in their "i'm an undecided voter" interview (I've come away from this election with a dim opinion of those panels as well.

            3 votes
            1. [2]
              nukeman
              Link Parent
              If you want to feel better, a minority of people actually make a comment on a website. Most just read/lurk. And on the second point, what I was getting at was that there are millions of voters who...

              If you want to feel better, a minority of people actually make a comment on a website. Most just read/lurk. And on the second point, what I was getting at was that there are millions of voters who don’t identify as MAGA (and could be convinced to vote for a dem under the right circumstances). Look at the split ticket voting seen in Arizona or AOC’s Bronx district, or at polling which shows Trumps floor at around 40 percent. 49 percent voted for him in 2024, those 9 percent are significant.

              2 votes
              1. DefinitelyNotAFae
                Link Parent
                You have to look at flat numbers and everything I see suggests most people didn't vote rather than people flip flopping. Regardless, let's say 40 percent. It's far too high. And I'm aware the...

                You have to look at flat numbers and everything I see suggests most people didn't vote rather than people flip flopping.

                Regardless, let's say 40 percent. It's far too high. And I'm aware the commenters are the minority, but even if the level of hatred is lesser among the non commenters, I see no evidence that there's actually some level of empathy or kindness either. Because in silence there's nothing but vague hope that they'll change.

                I can't weigh the suffering on one hand and the hope in the other and feel good at the moment.

                4 votes
  5. [5]
    Bet
    Link
    Vice-President JD Vance has suggested judges do not have authority over the Trump administration's executive power, as the White House responds to a flurry of lawsuits that aim to stall its agenda.
    7 votes
    1. [4]
      DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      I think "has suggested" is very soft. He says "judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power" I suppose he "implies" that it's all legitimate, which could be the suggestion...

      I think "has suggested" is very soft. He says "judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power"

      I suppose he "implies" that it's all legitimate, which could be the suggestion part.

      It's basically Andrew Jackson all over again.

      Currently on judicial hold:
      Birthright citizenship revocation
      Trans women inmates being moved to men's prisons
      Funding freeze (but ignored)
      FBI agent identities
      Federal employee resignations
      USAID leave/recall (and reinstatement for some already on leave)

      10 votes
      1. [3]
        Bet
        Link Parent
        Yea, he’s been pretty straightforward in his admiration of him. Of all the presidents, lol.

        On a podcast in 2021, he suggested that a future Trump administration should sack "every single midlevel bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people".

        "When the courts stop you, stand before the country like [early US president] Andrew Jackson did and say: 'The chief justice has made his ruling. Now let him enforce it,'" Vance said.

        Yea, he’s been pretty straightforward in his admiration of him. Of all the presidents, lol.

        6 votes
        1. DefinitelyNotAFae
          Link Parent
          Yeah, it's very intentional and very depressing

          Yeah, it's very intentional and very depressing

          4 votes
  6. Bet
    (edited )
    Link
    Link to post on reddit: Musk crashes Trump’s interview and goes on an info dump about how the judicial branch shouldn’t exist He’s just rambling. Also, pic in comments of close-up of his eyes....

    Link to post on reddit: Musk crashes Trump’s interview and goes on an info dump about how the judicial branch shouldn’t exist

    He’s just rambling. Also, pic in comments of close-up of his eyes. (Not the edited pic that looks like circle lenses gone wrong. Just the bedraggled looking one.)

    ETA: Actually, this is one of those situations that I find super interesting, because everyone in my family is solidly centrist, so the way they view events like this is completely different to how I do.

    Generally, they don’t care that Elon Musk is in the Oval Office giving speeches, so long as it doesn’t affect them. They see this, and they just… trust the system; whereas I see this, and I find it surreal. There’s just some guy lecturing the U.S. about disregarding an entire branch of government, looking increasingly like he needs to take a nap — there is no emergency here, other than the one he is creating, so he could just go somewhere else, please; go relax — and we’re all just stuck here having to go through this.

    It’s madness, but it’s also horribly amusing.

    7 votes
  7. Raspcoffee
    Link
    Well, the news of the NATO top sure has been something. Hopefully I won't die in a trench, but there is a good chance that Putin and his cronies may become emboldened after this shit. Thinking of...

    Well, the news of the NATO top sure has been something. Hopefully I won't die in a trench, but there is a good chance that Putin and his cronies may become emboldened after this shit.

    Thinking of becoming more political active irl because my own country can't defend itself, really... Fucking hell.

    6 votes
  8. Bet
    Link
    Pentagon schools suspend library books for ‘compliance review’ under Trump orders I can’t imagine this is going over well with faculty. DoD teachers, in my experience, are usually a bunch of...

    Pentagon schools suspend library books for ‘compliance review’ under Trump orders

    I can’t imagine this is going over well with faculty. DoD teachers, in my experience, are usually a bunch of left-leaning weirdos (in the best way).

    5 votes
  9. [2]
    CannibalisticApple
    Link
    The Missouri attorney general is suing Starbucks for "violating anti-discrimination laws." Actual quote: "More female and less white" Just... Wow.

    The Missouri attorney general is suing Starbucks for "violating anti-discrimination laws." Actual quote: "More female and less white"

    Just... Wow.

    5 votes
    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      If I recall correctly that guy sucks in particular. And if I don't recall correctly, this sort of proves it anyway. This won't be the last lawsuit of this sort.

      If I recall correctly that guy sucks in particular.

      And if I don't recall correctly, this sort of proves it anyway.

      This won't be the last lawsuit of this sort.

      2 votes
  10. KapteinB
    Link
    US drops wording saying it does not support Taiwan independence (Al Jazeera) Some good news among the tidal wave of awfulness. I wish my own country would have the balls to support Taiwanese...

    US drops wording saying it does not support Taiwan independence (Al Jazeera)

    US State Department plays down changes as a ‘routine’ update after Taipei welcomes ‘positive and friendly’ wording.

    Some good news among the tidal wave of awfulness. I wish my own country would have the balls to support Taiwanese independence, but our politicians are too afraid of the consequences.

    5 votes
  11. [3]
    boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    Analysis - Trump is setting up constitutional test cases in a move to radically expand presidential power, while attacking 'the Enemy from within' This is from the New York Times. Hopefully...

    Analysis - Trump is setting up constitutional test cases in a move to radically expand presidential power, while attacking 'the Enemy from within'

    This is from the New York Times. Hopefully someone has a gift link. The article is long and contains embedded links to support its points.

    4 votes
    1. Bet
      Link Parent
      Here’s the archive link, in the meantime. Most of their embedded links seem to work. And for a trip down memory lane (for Americans), an example of one type of ‘the enemy from within’.

      Here’s the archive link, in the meantime. Most of their embedded links seem to work.

      And for a trip down memory lane (for Americans), an example of one type of ‘the enemy from within’.

      3 votes
  12. [5]
    Raspcoffee
    Link
    Trump says he and Russian leader Putin have agreed to begin ‘negotiations’ on ending Ukraine war I'm just so fucking afraid of Putin being emboldened and the war consuming far more of Europe as a...

    Trump says he and Russian leader Putin have agreed to begin ‘negotiations’ on ending Ukraine war

    I'm just so fucking afraid of Putin being emboldened and the war consuming far more of Europe as a result. God fucking damnit. Trying my very best to just take things on one step at a time...

    I really hope the Russian economy is not going to last after this.

    4 votes
    1. [4]
      PuddleOfKittens
      Link Parent
      There's no way that Putin does anything to Europe for the next e.g. 3 years. Even supposing Putin manages to annex Ukraine outright, the Russian army needs some to reform the army once it has...

      There's no way that Putin does anything to Europe for the next e.g. 3 years. Even supposing Putin manages to annex Ukraine outright, the Russian army needs some to reform the army once it has breathing room, it needs to stockpile chips and other sanctionable goods, it needs to build more weapons factories, and Russia needs to fix its economy (which is currently propped up with a ton of very temporary measures for the sake of short-term wartime spending).

      But most importantly, it needs to align its citizen base. Russia is facing a manpower crunch and a lack of support for the war, due to a long history of deliberately de-politicizing their population. Putin needs to re-politicize his population (i.e. make them actively support fascism), which is hard and will take time.

      Any time that Putin spends building up is time that Europe has to build up. Although honestly, if Putin invaded any NATO country in the EU then France would launch its nukes, and it would be a rather short war.

      2 votes
      1. [3]
        Raspcoffee
        Link Parent
        I do agree that Russia is basically on its last legs and facing (most) EU armies would be devastating to it. That said, this invasion went completely against any semblance of realpolitik and...

        I do agree that Russia is basically on its last legs and facing (most) EU armies would be devastating to it. That said, this invasion went completely against any semblance of realpolitik and that's what scares me. It's not unthinkable he'll do something grossly stupid again.

        That said, actions against Moldova, and perhaps Belarus if they don't want to later become a stepping stone for the Kalingrad-Belarus gap are more likely in the immediate future.

        1 vote
        1. [2]
          PuddleOfKittens
          Link Parent
          What he did wasn't grossly stupid, if you assume that the Russian army was capable of annexing Ukraine within 3 days (the USA also made this mistaken assumption). Once Russia had annexed Ukraine,...

          It's not unthinkable he'll do something grossly stupid again.

          What he did wasn't grossly stupid, if you assume that the Russian army was capable of annexing Ukraine within 3 days (the USA also made this mistaken assumption). Once Russia had annexed Ukraine, it would be presented as fait accompli and nothing would happen (except a Ukrainian insurgency).

          Nitpick:

          if they don't want to later become a stepping stone for the Kalingrad-Belarus gap

          The only reason Kaliningrad was relevant was because Finland/Sweden wasn't part of NATO. Even if they managed to hold the gap, Latvia etc wouldn't be cut off from resupply, so in practice Kaliningrad would be an overextension surrounded on all sides.

          4 votes
          1. Raspcoffee
            Link Parent
            I appreciate you going against me here, as you can probably tell I'm rather stressed about the situation. Sweden/Finland being locked in with NATO does make St. Petersburg incredibly vulnerable...

            I appreciate you going against me here, as you can probably tell I'm rather stressed about the situation. Sweden/Finland being locked in with NATO does make St. Petersburg incredibly vulnerable too. The risk is still there of course, but it would more likely end Russia than Europe.

            2 votes
  13. skybrian
    Link
    @Deimos I see that this recurring topic appears in ~society now, but it's still linked in the sidebar for ~news.

    @Deimos I see that this recurring topic appears in ~society now, but it's still linked in the sidebar for ~news.

    1 vote