Links 6/25/2025

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1. Antifa June 25, 2025 at 7:00 am

   Our Donny

   (melody borrowed from the old Scottish song My Bonnie, which we all know as a nursery rhyme;
   here performed by Mitch Miller)

   Our Donny shows daily devotions to Israel over the sea
   Obeying Ms. Adelson’s notions—she purchased his Presidency

   Haystack, orange mask, he’s babbling some witless insanity
   No facts, don’t ask, this man needs some psychiatry

   He spends half the night on Truth Social—ALL CAPS LIKE THE VOICE IN HIS HEAD!
   His posts soon get flagged for disposal—he can’t do the things he has said

   Haystack, orange mask, he’s babbling some witless insanity
   No facts, don’t ask, this man needs some psychiatry

   His brain shows such steady erosion, detaching from reality
   There’s nothing left but self promotion, and making himself the payee

   Haystack, orange mask, he’s babbling some witless insanity
   No facts, don’t ask, this man needs some psychiatry

   His slot at the top should be open—his Cabinet won’t do the deed
   Remove him because he’s not copin’—this silly old man’s gone to seed

   Haystack, orange mask, he’s babbling some witless insanity
   No facts, don’t ask, this man needs some psychiatry

   Reply ↓
   1. William Beyer June 25, 2025 at 8:16 am

      Love it!

      Reply ↓
   2. Martin Oline June 25, 2025 at 9:37 am

      Another fine job Antifa!

      Reply ↓
2. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 7:10 am

   ‘Why you should have a cat
   @ShouldHaveCat
   Loving them is a full-time job.’

   Oh, man. That cat video was hilarious. Thanks. I’m sure they do it on purpose.

   Reply ↓
3. Expat2uruguay June 25, 2025 at 7:12 am

   “Our Nation on Zillow” by Large Man Abroad discusses the recent provision put into the Big Beautiful Bill that would put over 250 million acres of public land on sale, and why it is so controversial.
   https://youtu.be/2RG-c2DXEFA

   Reply ↓
   1. t June 25, 2025 at 9:30 am

      Palimentarian yanked that – unless it’s back again. Hard to keep up.

      Reply ↓
4. Patrick Donnelly June 25, 2025 at 7:17 am

   The fastest winds in the Solar system are found on Neptune.

   It is very cold there.

   Reply ↓
   1. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 7:29 am

      Or as an anonymous poet put it many years ago-

      ‘Colder than an iceberg,
      gloomy and glum.
      Colder than the hair
      on a polar bear’s b**.’

      Reply ↓
5. Samuel Conner June 25, 2025 at 7:24 am

   re: the durability of the Iran/Israel ceasefire, it’s hard to believe that Netanyahu’s political problems were solved by the recent conflict, but it’s also hard to believe that a resumption of hostilities would serve him well, either. He can claim ignorance of Iran’s capabilities prior to 6/13 triggering its retaliation, but no longer.

   Perhaps the next stage of hostilities will be more covert, perhaps attempting to stimulate internal conflict along ethnic fault lines.

   Reply ↓
   1. Socal Rhino June 25, 2025 at 8:16 am

      To your last point, I can’t recall the source, but I have seen speculation that among Iran’s new requests of the RF will be help in improving their counter terrorism efforts.

      Reply ↓
      1. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 9:53 am

         If so, they could use the help. And if they are smart, they should let the Russians help them set up an aerial defense system that would make future attacks on Iran prohibitively costly. It is only a matter of time until the Israelis come back for another go. Maybe they should work on their anti-sub capabilities as well while they are at it.

         Reply ↓
6. Expat2uruguay June 25, 2025 at 7:26 am

   Two thoughts on the “big brother is watching you watch” articles:

   Your stride can also be changed consciously, in many ways. You can hold your upper body aloft, tighten your abs or open your hips, vary your push off force, consciously lift your arches, etc.

   RFK may want to force wearables on americans, but that would only be Americans living in America. And perhaps visiting…

   Reply ↓
   1. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 7:55 am

      I read years ago that if you want to change your stride, then just put a small smooth pebble in one shoe and you will walk differently. For fun, switch the pebble from one foot to another from time to time.

      Reply ↓
      1. jefemt June 25, 2025 at 8:54 am

         The average American takes less than 300 steps a day… who walks anywhere?

         Reply ↓
         1. Wukchumni June 25, 2025 at 9:24 am

            Just crummy luck to be past my 10,000 miles or 60 year warranty-whatever comes first

            Had my first steroid shot in my knee yesterday for what ails me-osteoarthritis, and I really shouldn’t have looked at the length of the 2 inch needle plunging into the nether regions as it only made me clench harder, the 5 year old boy part of yours truly that never done grown up.

            Feels weird to not be able to amble around striding one leg in front of another and then alternating as is my custom, and am presently getting by with memories of past adventures too numerous to mention. I wonder if I can ski next winter on this bum knee, or does it all just end cold turkey for awhile?

            I think I last stretched before doing something, maybe when I was running the mile in high school track, its been a spell. Gonna work on that.

            Reply ↓
         2. Joe Renter June 25, 2025 at 11:32 am

            That’s not many steps. I picked up a smart watch last year mainly for biking. At work I average 6,500 steps. At the end of the day my dogs are tired, as I have flat feet. But use or lose it and work is necessary for keeping a roof over the head. I find that the body really can adapt to increased work loads. Rest and diet are important. Giving up alcohol has been a game changer, I might add.

            Reply ↓
      2. JP June 25, 2025 at 9:03 am

         Old Steve Martin joke: Someone asked him how he was so funny. He replied that before he goes on he puts a slice of baloney in one shoe and when he goes on stage he just feels funny.

         Reply ↓
7. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 7:27 am

   ‘Donald J. Trump
   @realDonaldTrump
   Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, “PEACE!” I knew the time was NOW. The World, and the Middle East, are the real WINNERS! Both Nations will see tremendous LOVE, PEACE, AND PROSPERITY in their futures. They have so much to gain, and yet, so much to lose if they stray from the road of RIGHTEOUSNESS & TRUTH. The future for Israel & Iran is UNLIMITED, & filled with great PROMISE. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!’

   Mind you, Trump is also the guy who just said that he did not want regime change in Iran and that he doesn’t want it in spite of him pushing it only a day or two ago-

   https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/don-t-want-regime-change-in-iran-trump-changes-tune-after-ceasefire/ar-AA1Hl2Wu

   He tells so many lies that he would make a great fisherman.

   Reply ↓
   1. Munchausen June 25, 2025 at 9:06 am

      If he was the fishmeister, those German catfish attacks would not have happened.

      Reply ↓
8. Expat2uruguay June 25, 2025 at 7:28 am

   Antidote from Africa: I know we’re all tired of ever more terrible news. This video is from a favorite source, TrueMamle, who is a sweet middle-aged woman who lives in the Sahel and translates local broadcasts into English. Here the president of Chad suddenly and secretly decides to go to the social security payment office and ask the retired people how they received the money he had allocated to them. (!!!)

   They are respectful in their disappointment and the president promises to fix the problems. After the video TrueMamle’s commentary is sentimental and speaks directly to the leaders of nations about serving their people, calling it an opportunity for greatness in these times.

   I hope this video will distract from the current chaos for a few precious moments and leave us with something positive to think about, if we are not too cynical.

   https://youtu.be/iMzMAhyMbHE

   *She uses YouTube’s language tools to process the original french broadcast, and it’s nice to see there’s at least one good use case for AI.

   saludos

   Reply ↓
9. ChrisFromGA June 25, 2025 at 7:34 am

   Re: SImplicius

   Question du jour: If Israel had “air superiority” over Iran, how did they (Iran) manage to shoot down a bunch of attack drones?

   Asking for a friend.

   From the article:

   The most significant proof is that Israel very enthusiastically released footage of their strikes—so how come not a single clip from that footage showed strikes from fighter-bomber jets? Every clip was from a UCAV, which is telling.

   Reply ↓
10. AG June 25, 2025 at 7:40 am

    re: US investing in German rearmament

    via JUNGE WELT daily

    machine-translation

    Capital flight to Europe
    In the eyes of speculators
    »Buy Europe«: Increased capital flow from US markets into European equity funds
    By Dominic Iten
    https://archive.is/y9v8z

    “Global investors are withdrawing billions from the US markets and shifting them to Europe. According to data from the analysis firm EPFR, around 110 billion US dollars had already been invested in European equity funds by mid-May – the largest inflow since 2015. Germany, Spain, and Italy have benefited particularly strongly so far, each recording double-digit price gains. The German press quickly reached a consensus on the reasons for the revaluation of international stock markets: The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is among the winners of the crisis – “thanks to US President Trump,” report the Süddeutsche Zeitung , Der Spiegel , and the Stuttgarter Zeitung .”

    Reply ↓
11. PlutoniumKun June 25, 2025 at 7:41 am

    Re: Shanghai Panda tweet.

    This is based on out-of-date stats (i.e. up to 2023). The ‘Trump effect’ stats aren’t fully clear for worldwide student movements, but there has been a distinct uptick in the number of Chinese students over the past 2 years according to available figures (which are always a bit suspect, but that’s a different topic). Because of variations in how they are reported by country there is always a lag in establishing trends, but all the available evidence is that post-covid the number of people leaving China for study abroad has stayed pretty stable, with a slight increase this year in Europe.

    Reply ↓
12. nap June 25, 2025 at 7:47 am

    Not sure if technical questions allowed here. But every time I open NC on my phone lately (android/chrome), I get a popup from “powered by Admiral” asking whether I “consent to these personal data processing activities by us and our partners?”

    The same page pops up again whenever I click on links within NC.

    It only started happening recently, only on my phone (not other devices) and it only happens with NC (no other websites).

    I can’t seem to block or remove this popup using the normal phone settings. Any advice welcomed.

    Reply ↓
    1. Yves Smith Post authorJune 25, 2025 at 8:18 am

       This is an alert required by the EU, Admiral provides it for us.

       Are you using a VPN on your phone?

       Reply ↓
       1. Polar Socialist June 25, 2025 at 8:34 am

          Or maybe “incognito mode” is the culprit. I’m in EU, and I have to allow or deny data processing only when my browser has forgotten the answer – so once in a blue moon or so.

          Reply ↓
       2. nap June 25, 2025 at 11:40 am

          Thank you, Yves and PS. No VPN but will check it out.

          Reply ↓
13. Wukchumni June 25, 2025 at 7:49 am

    The Unseen Fury Of Solar Storms Nomea
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Perhaps the scariest thing in the USA were the grid to go down on account of a solar storm, is the idea that every last gun would continue to perform effortlessly with only mild index finger pressure.

    Reply ↓
    1. Ben Panga June 25, 2025 at 8:51 am

       Would/could a big solar storm knock out the Anduril drones the oligarchs will rule over us with?

       The part of my brain that it is constantly creating premises for sci-fi stories would like to know. And perhaps the radical luddite-prepper part too.

       Reply ↓
       1. Wukchumni June 25, 2025 at 8:59 am

          A few years back, I was on a backpack trip with a couple friends to Willett hot springs & Sespe hot springs, both along the Sespe River. The trailhead is about an hour drive from Ojai, its quite remote the area and the Sespe River is the last wild river in SoCal, untamed by dams.

          A solar storm taking us out lingers in the recesses of my mind-always late on rent typically… as its such an elegant solution to a problem, that being far too many of us-a conquering army that killed off lesser subjects of Mother Nature systematically in propping up our cause.

          My friends on this sojourn are from San Diego and LA, and one great thing about a backpack trip is you have oodles of time to bullshit as you’re always in close proximity to your mates and there are no electronic devices to distract.

          We’re at Sespe hot springs, 17 miles walk in the opposite direction to where our vehicles are parked @ the Piedra Blanca trailhead, its a great early season walk as the altitude gain and loss is minimal compared to the Sierra.

          I hit them up with the scenario… we get back to our cars and none of the trio will start, and having the only manual transmission we decide to try and bump start it, but no dice as its just an ad hoc shelter now. I know what’s happened as we saw the northern lights quite vividly a few nights earlier.

          There is no electricity to be had anywhere, mankind survived without it for 69,847 years prior to its use, but there isn’t hardly anybody now who doesn’t rely upon it almost as much as one needs water~

          I ask my friends what would they do?

          The San Diegan wants to hike home to his wife and kids, and I get it, while the Angeleno is having none of that as he knows there is practically no surface water to be had in the City of Angles or any place en route to San Diego. You can’t go home again-its tantamount to a death sentence.

          Most of the 20 million in the SoCalist movement would be dead in a week, no mobility, no water and no food, but lots of guns.

          Reply ↓
          1. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 9:30 am

             Based on something I read in Bantu history, I think that in such a case you would have huge masses of refugees on the move, perhaps in the millions, ransacking and eating everything in their path including each other until resources would run so low that these groups would break up under their own weight. The most other smaller groups could do is to do hit and run tactics on them to try to make that mass change direction.

             Reply ↓
             1. earthling June 25, 2025 at 11:05 am

                The Great Migration To Yuma, where the canals still have water and the fields still have veggies. Gotta cross the Imperial Sand Dunes, let’s hope it’s not hot. Maybe applying for asylum entry to Mexico.

                Reply ↓
                1. Wukchumni June 25, 2025 at 11:37 am

                   One of our Fort Yuma men died, and unfortunately went to hell. He wasn’t there one day before he telegraphed for his blankets.

                   George Derby aka John P. Squibob

                   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Derby

                   Reply ↓
14. Trees&Trunks June 25, 2025 at 7:50 am

    Re: United Healthcare and VA. Are the veterans disarmed when returning? Wouln‘t it be an appropriate reaction if a bunxh of veterans just stormed the shareholder meeting and just shor them all?

    I don’t get how a heavily armed population takes this much abuse from the cradle to the grave.

    Reply ↓
    1. duckies June 25, 2025 at 9:15 am

       Cojones deficit.

       Reply ↓
15. DJG, Reality Czar June 25, 2025 at 7:50 am

    TwiXt: 377,000 missing (presumed dead) in Gaza.

    I read about this report by Yaakov Garb this morning in Fatto Quotidiano. For those who read Italians, it may be easier to go to the edicola and buy today’s edition on paper (see page 5).

    Fatto Q, but paywalled:
    https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/in-edicola/articoli/2025/06/25/la-denuncia-mancano-quasi-400mila-gazawi-nella-striscia/8038523/

    Harvard Dataverse posting the report and accompanying data sets:
    https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi%3A10.7910%2FDVN%2FQB75LB

    Another article with more details and an embedded version of the report. The number 377,000 doesn’t occur in the report, and I can’t get to the underlying data set. Without a doubt, someone here is more adept than I am.
    https://21stcenturywire.com/2025/06/23/new-report-the-hidden-numbers-behind-gazas-real-death-toll/

    The reason I am stressing this report is that for months, the number, ohhhh, 40,000, has been used. This number was out of date months ago, and it is used because of a warped perception or political stance that somehow not enough Palestinians have died to call a massacre a genocide. It’s only a reprisal against a civilian population, you see.

    So I am tossing in 377,000, because this number will become the minimum that I will accept from a writer or analyst who wants to be taken seriously.

    Also, if you are in Italy and heading to the edicola for the paper FQ, open to page 17. There is an essay of wonderful insight and moral clarity by the esteemed Barbara Spinelli. Every word is measured, and every word is accurate. “Le vere origini del caos bellico.”

    For ease of access, she has posted it on her personal page:
    https://barbara-spinelli.it/2025/06/25/le-vere-origini-del-caos-bellico/

    Those of you who use translation software may want to dump it in the software and read in your native language.

    Reply ↓
    1. nippersdad June 25, 2025 at 9:41 am

       It was suspicious how quickly the Lancet report last year, that 186,000 were estimated dead in Gaza, fell off the front page. That forty thousand figure so routinely cited has been a marker for me as to the verity of the reportage for a long time now.

       Reply ↓
    2. aleric June 25, 2025 at 9:56 am

       And also note that the 377,000 figure is the lower bound of the estimate, the actual number of fatalities in Gaza could be double that (and rising by thousands each day).

       Reply ↓
    3. AG June 25, 2025 at 10:48 am

       I would argue the same way, which I did until I saw Craig Murray use those new low numbers too. I was suspicious still but I am not the expert.
       And those initial high LANCET figures one year ago did not disappear that quickly. They were used for several months and even THE GUARDIAN as I wrote yesterday had those 500k (projected by end of 2024) floating via guest articles.

       Reply ↓
16. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 7:51 am

    “Israel reportedly planned to strike 15 key regime targets when Trump told Netanyahu not to respond to Iran missiles this morning’

    I think that that title was written for the benefit of it’s Israeli readers. If Israel reportedly planned to strike 15 key regime targets, then how come they had not done so in the previous two weeks? Did somebody just dig up a dusty old folder that showed the location of 15 regime targets or something? No doubt there are a lot of Israelis furious for Trump stopping them hitting Iran again and didn’t want the war to stop. One woman interviewed said that absolutely they should have kept bombing because now she does not feel safe. Not the first time I’ve heard something along those lines either from Israelis.

    Reply ↓
    1. hemeantwell June 25, 2025 at 8:17 am

       A feeling of safety will be hard to achieve after Iran acquires an AD upgrade from the Russians and Chinese and establishes a firm retaliation policy against Israeli aggression. An alternative route to safety for her would be to oust the current Israeli regime, or she can leave.

       Reply ↓
    2. Polar Socialist June 25, 2025 at 8:24 am

       That is one of the main problems of wartime censorship and propaganda – people don’t know they have been beaten.

       Happened in my dear heimat 85 years ago – peace was brokered and people started wearing black armbands as a protest against the “shameful peace”. They had no idea how close the whole front line and the nation itself were to a total collapse. Some still don’t.

       Reply ↓
    3. Acacia June 25, 2025 at 8:47 am

       Maybe she’d feel safer in a bomb shelter, after her apartment is flattened by a missile.

       Reply ↓
    4. Carolinian June 25, 2025 at 10:32 am

       The story up in Links about Israelis fleeing to the Sinai and its airport suggests a new take on Exodus. Just add Pharaoh Bibi pursuing them in his chariot.

       Alastair Crooke says some Israelis are trying to be triumphant about the whole mini war but surely now, finally and at last Netanyahu may be on the way out?

       Reply ↓
       1. hemeantwell June 25, 2025 at 11:02 am

          Netanyahu may have created a situation in which Iran can turn the tables and engage in steady “provocations” by, for example, shooting down Israeli drones which I assume have been steadily monitoring Iran. And then there are the Houthis. There are plenty of ways to keep tensions simmering and, now that Iran is no longer a state facing erasure, the economic underpinnings of the Greater Israel project, which depended on a fantasy of eventual stabilized hegemony, have been seriously disrupted, possibly ruined.

          Reply ↓
17. Expat2uruguay June 25, 2025 at 8:19 am

    Adding to the two links in the Africa coverage of violence in the Democratic Congo and the state of Benue, Nigeria, there are also important protests today in Kenya that are a culmination of many things. Firstly it’s the anniversary of last year’s protest where people who were killed are being commemorated. Also, the reason for the 2024 protests has returned: increased taxes proposed on necessities. Fold in the very recent police brutality/torture/murder, combined with hired thugs attacking the protesters last week and the scene is really intense. Here is a short video that shows the scene in multiple cities today: https://www.youtube.com/live/4kE4f6Kccds

    Background: Today is the one-year anniversary of the 2024 GENZ protests wherein Parliament was stormed and 60 protesters were killed. Despite that violence, last year’s incident was described by The Nonviolence Project thusly: “Young people were able to mobilize thousands to the streets, reach over 750 million via social media, and force President Ruto into withdrawing the bill in just a short period of time in June 2024.” https://thenonviolenceproject.wisc.edu/2025/04/29/kenya-finance-bill-protests/

    But things have evolved towards ever greater state violence and on June 19 of this year the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) erupted into chaos as protesters demanding justice for Albert Ojwang faced stick-wielding goons on motorbikes who were promised payment to break up the peaceful protests. Widely shared videos show these groups praising President William Ruto and clashing with demonstrators, beating bystanders, and robbing non-protesters. Police were seen not policing the goons and even supplying them with fuel, raising questions about state involvement. And as if that wasn’t enough, at the same rally an AP photographer caught the moment when a policemen shot a face-mask vendor in the head at point blank range with less lethal plastic or rubber bullets. He remains in the hospital with serious brain damage.

    https://youtu.be/SCBJKULuu20

    Same story in print:
    https://www.dw.com/en/what-you-need-to-know-about-kenyan-protesters-shooting/a-72959858

    The reason for that June 19 protest was the torture and murder in police custody of Albert Ojwang, a teacher and blogger who criticized a police chief on social media. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79epzj703eo

    As a final side note, protests in Africa don’t usually get a lot of mainstream media coverage, but Kenya has become a special case for another reason:
    “US Dumps Puppet President Ruto for Allying with China. Now He’s Paying the Price”
    https://youtu.be/XV-ARp3TQIM

    Reply ↓
18. ChrisFromGA June 25, 2025 at 8:36 am

    Sung to the tune of, “Saturday in the Park” by Chicago (lyrics by Robert Lamm)

    Melody

    Saturday, in the White House, I think they’re gonna cook up more lies
    Saturday, in the White House, I think they’re gonna cook up more lies

    Bunker busters, glorious victories, a man telling tall tales
    Tweeting all night long

    Donald Trumpi – bastardi bugiardi
    Can you dig it? Yes I can
    I’ve been waiting such a long time
    For Saturday

    We’re gonna be kept in the dark
    And fed a steady diet of lies
    We’re gonna be kept in the dark
    And fed a steady diet of lies
    Pundits talking, math not mathing
    A child playing emperor
    And making us look small

    Will you help him derange the world?
    Can you dig it? (Yes, I can)
    And I’ve been waiting such a long time
    For today

    Slow witted minions fly the colours of the day
    An Orange man still can tell stories his own way
    Listen children, all is not lost
    All is not lost, oh no, no

    Funny days, kept in the dark
    Every day we’re fed a new lie!
    Funny days, kept in the dark,
    Every day we’re fed a new lie!

    People reaching, wrong conclusions
    Premature celebration
    Stupid burns us all (stupid burns us all!)

    If you want it, really want it
    Can you dig it? (Yes, I can)
    And I’ve been waiting such a long time
    For the day, yeah yeah yeah

    Reply ↓
19. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 8:45 am

    ‘Fars News Agency
    @EnglishFars
    Iran’s parliament votes to suspend cooperation with IAEA’

    Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, must be in a bit of a panic at the moment and may have some ‘splainin to do to the agency’s Board of Governors. He’s probably on the phone to Iran demanding to know where their 400 kgs of enriched uranium is but they are hardly going to tell them. And why should they? It would be like telling the CIA and the Mossad. Those two institutions probably they were so smart infiltrating the IAEA and twisting it to their purposes but what they have done is to trash it’s credibility and end it’s international relevance going forward. Meanwhile Grossi would be still on the phone to Iran who would tell him of course they will tell him where that enriched uranium is-

    ‘In due course, Rafael. In the fullness of time, in due course, when conditions allow, and at the appropriate juncture. When the moment is ripe.’

    Reply ↓
    1. Ben Panga June 25, 2025 at 8:57 am

       Evidence part 1,000,000 of spooks/powers doing something cunning in the short-term becoming very counterproductive in the longer term.

       They fall in love with their schemes, with the thought of success, of winning this round. I’ve known golden retrievers with more foresight.

       Reply ↓
    2. Steve H. June 25, 2025 at 10:20 am

       Lavrov chuckles…

       Reply ↓
20. Wukchumni June 25, 2025 at 8:50 am

    He’s waiting for the break of day
    Searching for something in all CAPS to say
    Four flashing lights against the sky
    Giving up, I close my eyes

    Sitting cross-legged with a laptop on the floor
    Twenty fifth amendment kicks him out the door

    Staring blindly into space
    Getting up to splash my face
    Wanting just to stay awake
    Wondering how much more dishonesty we can take

    Should we try to do some more?
    Twenty fifth amendment kicks him out the door
    Oh yeah

    Feeling like a nation went to sleep
    Spinning democracy is sinking deep
    He’s searching for something in all CAPS to say
    Waiting for the break of day

    Twenty fifth amendment kicks him out the door
    Twenty fifth amendment kicks him out the door

    25 or 6 to 4, by Chicago

    Reply ↓
    1. ChrisFromGA June 25, 2025 at 9:06 am

       We can only hope. Musical accompaniment to your nicely re-done lyrics:

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A3HZvGN0qs&list=RD8A3HZvGN0qs

       Reply ↓
21. FreeMarketApologist June 25, 2025 at 8:51 am

    Re: NYC mayoral primary:

    Mamdani will inevitably run into roadblocks in Albany, where Gov. Hochul is running a pretty tight ship, and looking for opportunities to keep NYC on a short leash. I also see his win as another repudiation of the ‘ruling families’ ethos which has gripped both parties – voters did not want a Cuomo in office again. I think they had had enough of his father, and certainly enough of him, even if he was blessed by Saint Clinton and Saint Bloomberg. Of course, the rest of the ranked choice voting has to be calculated, and this is only one party’s primary, and Cuomo could run on an independent line, as the current mayor is doing, so it’s going to be a long election season.

    Voting patterns across the city can be seen here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/24/us/elections/nyc-mayor-primary-results-precinct-map.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Rk8.fIdw.wdyKvfVtohra&smid=nytcore-android-share. The wealthier Upper East and Upper West side neighborhoods pretty solid for Cuomo, E & W midtown solidly for Mamdani. You can mouse over the map for specific precinct results.

    Reply ↓
22. Carla June 25, 2025 at 8:53 am

    Anybody besides me suspect that the statement posted by Cyrus Janssen on “X” and attributed to “An Iranian man” was actually written by ChatGPT or similar?

    Reply ↓
    1. Ben Panga June 25, 2025 at 9:03 am

       I live in a city with a large English-speaking community of mostly non-native speakers. Chatgpt sounding texts are everywhere. Often it’s just someone with imperfect English using it to polish their work. Other times it seems entirely AI generated slop.

       My point: sounding like it’s written by AI doesn’t always mean something should be dismissed. Although it grinds my gears. I feel it making me more stupid and stupefied.

       Reply ↓
    2. Simeon June 25, 2025 at 9:23 am

       Being non-native English speaker from non-first word, it looks legit to me.

       Reply ↓
    3. NotThePilot June 25, 2025 at 9:46 am

       I didn’t see any reason to doubt it’s someone’s legit post; it sounds a bit formal, but I’d expect that from an educated, English-speaking liberal. In a way though, it reveals a lot, but not about the actual state of play in Iran at large, just how a liberal Iranian sees things (and contemporary liberals in general).

       And if you really think about the post, the overall theme is fear. The collective behavior of Iranian society the past two weeks should dispel any notion that this represents an effective political trend in the country. And yes, there is a direct analogy to American liberals, who will only become more irrelevant as the times change.

       Reply ↓
23. alex June 25, 2025 at 8:58 am

    Spelling … a Russian language site is spelled “Vyzglad” here (and in many previous posts by Yves) but the correct transliteration is Vzglyad.

    Thank you for all you do at nc.

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24. Pat June 25, 2025 at 9:08 am

    Some thoughts on our mayoral primary here in NY:

    Despite the weirdness of rank choice voting, imo Cuomo and his team have read the room correctly. The lay out of candidates with the least votes mean most are unlikely to have ranked him second, Mamdani will reach above 50% before Cuomo does.

    Between his own campaign and the various PACs, I would love to know how much was spent per vote for the loss. Pretty sure it will surpass what Mike Bloomberg spent to get his third term, and that was mind blowing. Unfortunately I do not begin to doubt that most of his backers will set their wallets on fire and do it again.

    They were clearly getting desperate. I noted that I got daily calls from his campaign during the last week of early voting. I also got a half dozen calls in the twenty four hours between 6pm Monday and 6 pm Tuesday from the Cuomo campaign. The most surprising one was the last that rolled out Reverend Al Sharpton. I guess older,white, long term Democrat meant I was possible to them. Fools. (I was even more surprised that Ruth Messinger’s call was all about keeping Cuomo off the ballot, I don’t even remember who she was supporting, probably Adams or Stringer.)

    Cuomo was quick to clarify his concession was for the primary alone, that he already has an independent line on the ballot. This is going to be nasty. It has to be. Though not identical most of The pool of voters most likely to vote for him are also the same who are available for Adams and Sliwa. Destroying both them and Mamdani is in all honesty his only real chance to win it. And most of the money in NY politics desperately do not want Mamdani. If it looks like Cuomo is the best chance he will go for it and he is going to have lots of help. It could make some of the nastiest campaigns of the last decade look like afternoon garden parties.

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25. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 9:14 am

    “Norwegian had meme on Vance – was not allowed to enter the US”

    People from foreign countries are being put on jets back to their own countries because they do not have the correct views and do not support the present US government? Apart from being thin-skinned, can you imagine how this will play out when hundreds of thousands of people fly to the US in 2028 to watch the LA Summer Olympics? Will you have tens of thousands of people being turned away because they do not support US Republican party policies or support Trump and Vance? I’ll have to order in some popcorn for this one

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    1. Wukchumni June 25, 2025 at 9:33 am

       I think those cut-outs of fans in the stands during the pandemic would work perfectly for the 2028 Olympics, as foreigners stay away in droves.

       Mentioned how my friend with an Aussie passport and green card was really sweating going back to the USA after our trip to Peru, as she knew somebody with a French passport and green card in a similar situation to hers, and the French woman was turned away much like the Norwegian was, for she had anti-Trump stuff on her smartphone, which ratted her out when customs had a peek.

       I was behind her the whole way through passport control and i’m happy to say that it all went smoothly, but think of all the days she obsessed over the possibility.

       Who would put themselves in a position of such worry when you didn’t have to, by not traveling to the USA?

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       1. ChrisFromGA June 25, 2025 at 9:56 am

          I sense a business opportunity – rent-a-burner phone for travel. Flip-phone, no browser, just a banner that says “Screw you, ICE!”

          Reply ↓
          1. Wukchumni June 25, 2025 at 10:00 am

             Or better yet, drag out a pink colored circa 1961 Model 701-B Princess telephone with cord attached~

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    2. nippersdad June 25, 2025 at 10:00 am

       File under: What happens if you throw a Summer Olympics and no one shows up?

       I can’t remember the last time that an Olympic games here in the US ended up in the black; they always lose gigantic sums of money in the best of times. Given how LA has become a war zone, at least perceptually, and there is already a boycott on US tourism, this one looks like it is going to break some records for how much money is lost on one of those things. I suspect that it is going to be an even more entertaining than you think.

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26. t June 25, 2025 at 9:34 am

    It’s worth noting that the current nominee for the U.S. Surgeon General, Casey Means, is the co-founder of a company that provides continuous glucose monitors and other health trackers to clients.

    Worth noting? That’s the headline. The only straight answer he gave was about buying expensive and unproven – likely unhelpful – technology.

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    1. Yves Smith Post authorJune 25, 2025 at 9:48 am

       KLG took apart this fraud in an early June post:

       She [Casey Means] is also a co-founder of the company Levels:

       Levels helps you achieve clarity and control over your health by revealing comprehensive biomarker data and clear guidance toward your goals.  With access to blood testing, continuous glucose monitors, and 1-on-1 dietitian support, you can uncover deeper insights into your bodies.  Features like AI-powered food logging, habit tracking, and adaptive insights help translate that data into daily actions that drive measurable improvement.

       As Casey Means MD describes her own company:

       (Levels) is an absolute game changer.  I love using Levels as my personal food journal (even when I’m not using a continuous glucose monitor) so I can make sure I’m staying accountable to my goals.  It makes knowing if you’re hitting your goals for protein and fiber (and other macros you want to track) completely effortless.

       The one, and seemingly only, tenet of MAHA is that “You and you alone are responsible for your health.”  This is not and never will be true, but it seemed to me that the rampant obsession with biomarkers and biohacking of members of the Professional Managerial Class (PMC) and their betters in the top-0.1% was basically a harmless waste of time, money, and worry.  However, measurement of biomarkers can be useful.  This is the one good reason to get an annual medical exam including bloodwork.  Hemoglobin A1c [3] is a marker for pre-diabetes and frank disease.  It is also good to have a measure of triglycerides and cholesterol, vitamin D, testosterone in males, and a few others biomarkers.  Once a year is sufficient absent symptoms.

       The Levels program, on the other hand, recommends continuous monitoring of “everything” so you can take charge of your body and your health.  But as Dr. Alex Harding put it in a recent opinion piece in STAT News, Longevity Seekers Misunderstand a Fundamental Truth About Biology:

       “Biohackers” and other longevity seekers…would have you believe that if you diligently measure your every bodily function and meticulously tailor your nutrition and exercise regimens, you can reprogram your body to live longer and evade dreaded diseases, just as a computer can be programmed to perform virtually any desired task.

       (The) logical flaw (here) is to assume that the biological processes in your body are just as predictable and controllable as transistors on a microchip.  What they don’t understand, or choose to ignore, is that the human organism is far too complex and unpredictable for that level of control.

       This brings us directly back to one of the main selling points from Casey Means MD of Levels: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) as a proxy for metabolic health…

       The goal of the biohacker is to use CGM to optimize his or her diet with respect to glucose levels.  However, the surprising result is that CGM really doesn’t work very well.  It turns out that in any given individual, the same meal does not produce the same effect on glucose levels.  From the STAT News article:

       The trouble is, our bodies’ glucose response to food intake is far too inconsistent to produce informative results. Researchers in a recent study fed participants identical meals separated by one week in a highly controlled hospital environment, while the participants wore continuous glucose monitors. Even when eating identical meals under these artificial conditions, the glucose measurements from a given participant looked no more similar than when the participants each ate an entirely different meal.  A scatterplot the researchers made comparing the glucose results from one meal against the identical meal a week later looked like it could have been made by a person throwing darts blindfolded.

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27. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 9:59 am

    “Joe Rogan gives decisive take on MAGA civil war as Iran bombing continues to tear Trump’s base apart”

    Maybe the base was ready to be split – between those who are so into Trump that it amounts to a cult (which you see in their attacks on any people that criticizes him like Tucker Carlson) and those who simply wanted to put America first which meant in practice ending wars of choices, trying to rebuild American industry and shutting down the open border policies which undercut workers and communities. Those three alone would have been worthy ideas but the way that the Trump regime has tried to implement them them has been so bizarre and thug-like that it is alienating America from all it allies and alienating Americans from him at home. I do wonder about Vance though. He has nailed himself to Trump to advance himself but it seems that Trump is slowly sinking which would take Vance with him as well. Couldn’t happen to a nicer fellow.

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    1. Wukchumni June 25, 2025 at 10:04 am

       There’s always Clark Kent waiting in the shadows should the dynamic duo be shown the door.

       …a theocracy unleashed

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       1. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 10:13 am

          At this point Jimmy Olsen would be an improvement.

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          1. ambrit June 25, 2025 at 11:02 am

             This being the New Amerika, that would be Jimmy Olsteyn, sidekick to Kalus Kent, mild mannered propagandist in the Reichs Ministry of Truth. (Kent is secretly Uberman, staunch defender of, “Untruth, Injustice, and the NAZI Way.”)
             See SNL Season 4 Episode 10. No clips of this sketch seem to be available on YouTube. (I wonder why? /s)

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28. NotThePilot June 25, 2025 at 10:01 am

    I agree with Yves and others the cease-fire isn’t stable since Trump is Trump and Netanyahu is the proverbial scorpion (Lapid & the opposition managing to take the gov might change that).

    However, as one more bit of evidence the Iranians finally scared somebody straight, Lebanon’s reconstruction (one of Hezbollah’s primary short-term goals) is magically getting funded tout suite:

    https://dailystar.com.lb/world-bank-250-million-lebanon-reconstruction/

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 10:16 am

       You think that Israel will be knocking on the door of the World Bank for a loan to repair their infrastructure too?

       Reply ↓
       1. flora June 25, 2025 at 10:26 am

          Craig Murray points out the US is already doing massive building in Lebanon. Murray’s substack. ~15+ minutes. From earlier this year, Jan 2015

          The USA’s Massive New “Embassy” in Beirut

          https://craigmurrayorg.substack.com/p/the-usas-massive-new-embassy-in-beirut

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          1. flora June 25, 2025 at 10:43 am

             edit typo: this year 2025

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          2. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 11:02 am

             Isn’t that the same building they had to totally evacuate a coupla days ago? The Iranians could totally mess with them by showing off a ballistic missiles with the following script on the side-

             ‘U.S. Embassy, Awkar – Facing the Municipality Main Street, Beirut, Lebanon.’

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    2. flora June 25, 2025 at 10:17 am

       If T is upset with Irs he can stop funding its war of choice and reduce materiel shipments. He could easily make it impossible for Isr to continue this war they started.
       If you don’t want someone to do something then make it difficult to impossible for them to do the thing. So, why isn’t he doing that. Even Reagan did that.

       T was elected as the non-globalist and peace candidate. This comment from Putin might be nothing more that words addressed to the BRICS countries. At this point however, I can’t say he’s wrong. I mean, T being proud of praise from WEF darling Rutte, destroyer of the Netherlands in the name of WEF? Really?
       On twtr-X

       ‘Putin Warns Trump: “Globalists Are Using You as a Puppet to Ignite WW3”

       Vladimir Putin has delivered a stark warning to Donald Trump – a warning not just about Iran, but about history.

       You’re walking into a trap, Putin told him. A trap that was laid long before any of the current players were born. A trap designed by globalist architects who’ve followed the same playbook for over a century.

       The global elite want this war – to collapse the old world and bring in the new. A war between civilizations, designed to create chaos so vast that only a single global solution will seem acceptable.’

       https://x.com/tpvsean/status/1937202375782961653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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29. Steve H. June 25, 2025 at 10:10 am

    > Face it: you’re a crazy person Adam Mastroianni

    >> It’s uncomfortable to confront your own illusion of explanatory depth, to admit that you really have no idea what’s going on, and to keep asking stupid questions until that changes.

    Adjacent to the four people in The Smartest Man in America [2007]:

    >> I can be very industrious, but I have a lazy side. Or not lazy, really. It’s just, like, I wanna do what I wanna do, you know?”

    Reply ↓
30. .Tom June 25, 2025 at 10:34 am

    Cyrus Jannsen’s tweet is worth a read. Here it is on xcalcel https://xcancel.com/thecyrusjanssen/status/1936939653879439617

    While reading that I could not help but think of Ukraine as another example.

    Right now, many Iranians live with three truths at once: The Islamic Republic is morally and politically bankrupt. The alternatives offered by foreign actors are not liberation—they’re collapse. A bad government is survivable. No government is not.

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31. The Rev Kev June 25, 2025 at 10:42 am

    “With much to lose, China sat on Israel-Iran war’s sidelines as U.S. flexed”

    ‘So US sources poke China in the eye after Rubio begged China for help re the Strait of Hormuz.’

    Actually its worse – a lot worse

    “The president was simply calling attention to the fact that, because of his decisive actions to obliterate Iran’s nuclear facilities and broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz will not be impacted, which would have been devastating for China,” the official said in an emailed response to the Post.
    “The president continues to call on China and all countries to import our state-of-the-art oil rather than import Iranian oil in violation of US sanctions,” it added.
    Earlier on Tuesday, Trump posted on social media that “China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran”, adding: “Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the US, also. It was my Great Honor to make this happen!”

    https://archive.vn/x89fK

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32. Safety First June 25, 2025 at 10:59 am

    Re: Mamdani win (unofficial until at least next Tuesday, when ranked choice votes are supposed to be fully tabulated).

    1. Turnout. Roughly eyeballing the numbers, four years ago turnout in the Democratic primary was about ~800k, this time it’s close to 1 million. Yes, the city’s population grew a bit, and yes, in 2021 the pandemic was still acknowledged to be a thing, but nevertheless, that’s a big bump.

    It will be interesting to see the data broken out by precinct. I suspect this was a case of Brooklyn and Queens – and understand, any non-affluent manhattanites have been fleeing in droves to Brooklyn and Queens over the past two years due to the rent spike, so you got the “white collar professionals” crowd mixing with the predominantly immigrant and minority locals – overcoming the other boroughs, but we will see.

    2. Cuomo’s attack strategy was…interesting. Peak national-aspirations-in-the-Democratic-Party, I’d say. But also relentless, new materials showing up in my mailbox literally every couple of days.

    Two-three weeks out – “Mamdani will raise YOUR taxes”. I live in an upper-working-class-slowly-gentrifying-lots-of-immigrants neighborhood. As in Planet Fitness instead of Equinox, literally. I would LOVE for Mamdani to raise MY taxes, because of what that would mean for my tax bracket…

    One-two weeks out – “Mamdani will DEFUND THE POLICE, and crime will soar”. Featuring a photo of Mamdani from 2020, when “Defund the Police” (which I find to be a terrible slogan from a marketing perspective, but whatever) were a thing.

    One half to one weeks out – “ISRAEL!!!!!!!”. There are couple of Israeli flags hanging in appartment windows in my neighborhood, plus three synagogues within medium-to-long walking distance, so maybe that resonated with some people. On the other hand, this might have actually hurt Cuomo with the non-zionists in the room, who got an extra incentive to turn out.

    I should also note that Cuomo seems to have stuck to traditional advertising media – TV, flyers, etc. Zero attempts to reach people via SMS or phones. I think I might have seen one or two Youtube ads total – I saw loads more Youtube from Adams (the speaker, not the mayor), and loads more phone outreach from Zellnor what’s-his-name. Though I clear my browser cache religiously, so I missed any “targeted” Youtube ads, and that might have been a thing.

    3. My question for November is – who’s running?

    Mamdani is in, ok. Sliwa, because this circus needs at least one clown. Adams is still running as an independent, yes? So that’s a three-way. Then we have the possibility of Cuomo jumping in on his own party line, so that’s a possible four-way. Yes, I know, “Cuomo is damaged” and so on, but never underestimate the power of stupidity fuelled by personal ambition.

    That is a pretty complicated hill to climb, for any candidate. I guess we’ll see once some semi-reliable polling data comes out in a few months’ time. [Right now it’s just way too early, five months is a veritable lifetime in politics.]

    4. I keep saying that if the DNC were run by a cabal of Mr. Burns, Eric Cartman and Edmund Blackadder, they’d let Mamdani win, then sabotage the hell out of everything he tried to do, just to discredit the lefties in the room.

    Since the DNC are the people that they are, I assume they are going to try to sabotage him in the election phase, and then should he actually win, act surprised. Though sabotaging everything he would try to do as mayor is still on the table, unless Mamdani manages to get an exceedingly friendly city council (and I just have no idea).

    The other thing to keep in mind is, New York State still has a crypto-republican-democrat as governor all the way through 2026, and whoever has got next is unlikely to be any better. [E.g. the Lieutenant Governor, who is making lots of noises about running against his boss next year, is an ardent, avid, foaming at the mouth pro-Israel type.] That’s a huge lever, given the power that the state has over much of what happens in the city – the MTA, schools, budgets, taxes, and so forth. I am not trying to be pessimistic, I am merely delineating the steepness of the hill that needs climbing.

    5. Should Mamdani win, I’m 95% convinced AOC will try to knock off Schumer. Not that I think this will change the national picture much, but just think of the screaming, breathless headlines…

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33. Expat2uruguay June 25, 2025 at 11:10 am

    Protests in Kenya turn violent, two reported dead, dozen or more injured by bullets. Thousands protesting in multiple cities; government demands media stop live reporting; and water cannons, tear gas and less lethal bullets used by police. Local time 6:00 p.m., reporting by Al Jazeera.
    https://youtu.be/vVsUSPrDW7U

    Reply ↓
    1. Expat2uruguay June 25, 2025 at 11:28 am

       https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenyans-brace-protests-one-year-after-storming-parliament-2025-06-25/

       Reply ↓
34. ambrit June 25, 2025 at 11:17 am

    I have been mulling over the behaviour of Trump lately and have come to the conclusion that Trump is using the same “tricks” he developed and honed in the years he was associated with the American Professional Wrestling world.
    The term ‘kayfabe’ so beloved of commenters is from that world. So is the bravado and bluster. Threat displays and trash talk abound there, much to the delight of the crowds. However, no matter how brutal at times, professional wrestling is, at bottom, a game and scripted entertainment. World politics, especially wars, is not.
    If the American attack on the nuclear enrichment facilities and the subsequent counter attack by Iran on the American airbase were indeed prearranged, they would fall squarely into the wrestling world “kayfabe” category. This can work only so many times before outside actors, such as Israel, decide to gum up the works and commit acts of perfidy. Then, as the aphorism about military plans states, all plans go out the window and the actors involved end up reacting to events in real time. The kayfabe script is abandoned. Then what does the Master of Ceremonies do?
    Stay safe.

    Reply ↓
35. AG June 25, 2025 at 11:25 am

    I have not yet listened to them myself:

    JACOBIN RADIO podcasts:

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jacobin-radio/id791564318
    e.g. their latest:

    Confronting Capitalism: How Trump Became a Neocon
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/confronting-capitalism-how-trump-became-a-neocon/id791564318?i=1000714492935

    not yet online as podcast but as transcript interview:

    The US Started Both the Old and New Cold Wars

    An interview with Vivek Chibber

    In an interview with Jacobin, Vivek Chibber discusses why the US desire for global dominance was responsible for the Cold War — and why the United States is inflaming new rivalries with Russia and China today.

    https://jacobin.com/2025/06/us-russia-china-cold-war-rivalries

    Reply ↓
36. redleg June 25, 2025 at 11:34 am

    Re. diamond mine tailings

    The mineral that’s the focus of the article is saponite, a type of smectite clay. The stuff will hold water and might have an affinity for nitrate. It’s used for ceramics. I wouldn’t call this stuff particularly chemically hazardous at all, unless inhaled which applies to all silicates.

    Diamond mine waste isn’t that bad. Silicate hazards from asbestos and amphibole minearals, radioactivity hazards mainly from potassium but also U, Th, Ra but not so much that it requires criticality safeguards. The tailings wouldn’t be anything close to a gold, copper, nickel mine with acid drainage or chemical hazards. There are other useful minerals associated with diamonds such as garnet, sometimes REE stuff like monazite.
    The mineralogy depends on if the diamonds are igneous (kimberlite or lamprophyre) or metamorphic (eclogite) in origin. Since the article is about a Mg-Fe clay mineral, the diamonds must be from a lamprophyre or extremely weathered eclogite. Either way that tailings pile would be a fun but messy one to pick through.

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37. NotThePilot June 25, 2025 at 11:52 am

    More interesting timing in the denouement of Trump’s 12 day war:

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/25/armenia-arrests-prominent-archbishop-over-alleged-coup-plot

    I honestly have no clue what foreign alignment Galstanyan really represents: genuine nationalist? Russian? Iranian? More American than Pashniyan (by way of Canada)?

    I don’t see how to interpret this as Pashniyan coming from a position of strength though. Even in the Western press, Pashniyan seems to be deeply unpopular

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