Is Ryabkov on a 4-year cycle?
Anyway, the good folks of the Baltics might be concerned.
Here's a trail:

• Russia demands NATO roll back from East Europe and stay out of Ukraine (Reuters · 2021 Dec 17)
• NATO flexes muscle to protect Vilnius summit near Russia, Belarus (Reuters · 2023 Jul 9)

"If Lithuania was alone, I would feel differently," he added. "If not for the NATO membership, things here could already be same as in Ukraine," said Elena Tarasevic, 55, Rynkun's neighbour.

• NATO’s Baltic exercises are part of preparations for military clash with Russia — diplomat (TASS · 2025 Jun 3)
• INTERVIEW: NATO expansion must stop to resolve conflict with West — MFA (TASS · 2025 Jun 9)
• Future of Ukraine conflict to show if US willing to restore ties with Russia — diplomat (TASS · 2025 Jun 9)
• Russia Won't End Ukraine War Until NATO Scales Back Eastern Flank: Moscow (Newsweek · 2025 Jun 9)
• Russia could send "little green men" to test NATO's resolve, German intelligence boss warns (Reuters · 2025 Jun 9)
• Russia Setting Up to 'Test' NATO in Baltics: German Intelligence (Newsweek · 2025 Jun 10)
• Moscow views Western military biological activities as security threat — senior diplomat (TASS · 2025 Jun 10)
... Pretext/prelude/excuse?
• Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia are European countries’ puppets, says Lavrov (TASS · 2025 Jun 10)

Crap coming out of the Kremlin circle will be propagated, might even be paraphrased by US officials.
Putin doesn't have peace in mind.

these riots — BitconnectCarlos

all the regular protesters — jorndoe

See the difference?

, how about Trump is a clown, the looters are bad, all the regular protesters aren't?

No one cannot can control another’s motor cortex with words. — NOS4A2

Control? Like a Manchurian candidate? A magic spell? :)

I don't think that's what's meant. Your comment elicited this response. Which wouldn't have come about if you'd instead posted "Howdy doody partner", "What's down the sink?", "The Moon is a green cheese".

Haven't seen many flag burnings in the US lately.

But I've noticed a few showing the Stars and Stripes upside down.

Former DOGE engineer says federal waste and fraud were 'relatively nonexistent'
^{— Lauren Hodges, Patrick Jarenwattananon, Juana Summers · npr · Jun 5, 2025}

I haven't heard of any fraud cases raised yet.
Was DOGE a waster? :D

Part of this report has come up before in the thread:

New Report Reveals Russian Campaign to Cripple Ukraine’s Grain Trade and Economy
^{— Global Rights Compliance · May 21, 2025}

i. The unlawful occupation of territory, and illegal appropriation, extraction, and export of Ukrainian grain;
ii. The initial de facto blockade of Black Sea Ports from February to June 2022;⁸ and
iii. After Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023, through attacks against grain and related infrastructure located in the Black Sea and Danube ports, previously utilised to export grain.

UKRAЇNER | In its unprovoked war against Ukraine, Russia weaponises everything within its reach, including food. Before the invasion, Ukraine supplied... | Instagram (Apr 25, 2025 · 1m:58s)

North/west Kherson is being used as testing grounds for urban drone terrorism:

Ukraine: Russia Using Drones to Attack Civilians
^{— Human Rights Watch · Jun 3, 2025}

Half a century ago, Lewis Powell decided how future generations have to be.

The Launch of the Long Game
^{— Linda Stamato · Inside Higher Ed · May 9, 2023}

Seems to be enacted by Trump + team now.

Not the easiest to verify ...

Ukraine conducted successful ballistic missile test in mid-May — military expert
^{— Espreso · Jun 6, 2025}
Ukraine tests new ballistic missile
^{— Dylan Malyasov · Defence Blog Magazine · Jun 7, 2025}

... But no doubt the Ukrainians want more independence from supporters.

Valentyn Badrak on the threat of an attack on Europe (Apr 16, 2025 · 2m:52s)

Senior State Department official sought internal communications with journalists, European officials, and Trump critics
^{— Eileen Guo · MIT Technology Review · May 1, 2025}

They flagged the Enola Gay B-29 bomber from the 2nd World War as being woke, so who knows what they might do. :D

No one has made the case how the written word can "causally influence" a human being differently than any other mark on paper. — NOS4A2

Yet, your words elicited this response, which I wouldn't have written if not for those ↑ words.

Same for

no one has made the case how a spoken word can “causally influence” a human being any differently than any other articulated, guttural sound — NOS4A2

They say the printing press is among the most influential inventions in human history.

I enjoy thinking and arguing about such topics. — NOS4A2

And yet, such arguing wouldn't come about if not for such words.

(Hm Hasn't this stuff come up before?)

, they're already bombing the Ukrainians more or less daily, and have been for some time, including civilian targets. :/

When the Kremlin expresses "righteous revenge against terrorists" or whatever, I'm wondering why more observers aren't calling them out.

Here's a story of contemporary colonization, or attempted at least. (archived)

Donbas is certainly Russian-speaking, but there was no organised separatism in Donbas before 2014. It's not a region that had organised separatist aspirations before that. — Huseyn Aliyev

Contrary to what Putin said, the Donbas (still) isn't independent, it's being colonized on Kremlin orders. Stands to reason that was the plan.

Gross and disgusting. Open expansion of non-democracy/authoritarianism, and Putin now holds the 21st century record of most Slav lives on his conscience (record holders of the 20th century were Hitler, then Stalin, I think).

Focus: As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more US companies say retailers turning away their products
^{— Siddharth Cavale, Nivedita Balu, Jessica DiNapoli, Aurora Ellis · Reuters · Apr 7, 2025}
How is the Canadian boycott affecting American products?
^{— Bill Wilson · Supermarket News · May 28, 2025}
How Tariffs Are Making Beer More Expensive (beer important!)
^{— Bromlyn Bethune · Maclean’s · May 28, 2025}

Seems like the trend continues for now, a "Trump effect", with analogous reactions in Latin America and Europe.
For Canadians, there isn't much of a difference between "Buy Canadian" and "Don't buy American", though other foreign products haven't been affected like US products.
There's been a "Buy American" campaign in the US for some time.

Rumors on the street will have it that, due to sanctions, Russia can no longer maintain/produce Beriev A-50/A-100.

, no dogfigts, but close call nonetheless.

They (or some) say Rafale is the better plane overall, yet PL-15E is the better missile. China won the skirmish, if you will.

I can't help but wonder what the chance is of real escalation between the two nations, how volatile the situation is. The Chinese (allegedly) and Americans both moved to de-escalate, successfully. :sweat:

How to stop rolling the dice on the destruction of human civilization (archived)
^{— Kelsey Piper · Vox · Sep 22, 2022}

Kind of amusing :D

Trump finally meets his match
^{— The Daily Show · May 16, 2025 · 1m}

Unprincipled? Hypocrisy? Unreliable?

Seems to me that these...people, Trumpers, continue eroding the US.

Pam Bondi makes another claim on the Epstein files. Even Republicans are skeptical
^{— David Catanese · Miami Herald via Yahoo News · May 7, 2025}

Any time any political official cites "Deep State" (especially capitalized) as the cause for something, we all know they are spewing nonsense. We also all know that the people involved with Epstein weren't limited to on particularly political party. Perverts transcend politics. People on "both sides" of the political aisle are involved. — StevenF · May 8, 2025

What did they accomplish anyway?

New Social Security Data Reveals Musk, DOGE Lied in Claims of Social Security Fraud
^{— Natalie Alms (Elizabeth Warren) · US Senate · May 15, 2025}
DOGE’s Fraud Tracker at Social Security Turns Into a Massive Self-Own
^{— Josh Fiallo · The Daily Beast · May 16, 2025}

Shouldn't they hit the White House next?

Why is there something? — Fire Ologist

Well, not anything isn't something that can be, right? :)

Reports of youth militarization (like above) and ...

A glimpse inside Putin’s secret arms empire
^{— The Economist · May 8, 2025}

... indicate that Putin doesn't have peace in mind.
No one has suggested marching on Moscow (which seems like madness in any case); the Kremlin has something else in mind.
More European adventures?

Bosnia: Moscow’s Second Front in Europe
^{— Stephen Blank · CEPA · May 7, 2025}

Some European countries have reacted, ramping up capabilities.
I'm guessing that some concerted efforts are required to avoid (minimize) further instability.

, and ...

White House for Sale: How Princes, Prime Ministers, and Premiers Paid Off President Trump
^{— Jamie Raskin · Oversight Committee · Jan 4, 2024}

Matviichuk is on a mission. Maybe something will come of it.

Beyond rhetoric: Interrogating the Eurocentric critique of international criminal law’s selectivity in the wake of the 2022 Ukraine invasion
^{— Patryk I Labuda · Leiden Journal of International Law · Jun 6, 2023}
Evidence - SDIR (44-1) - No. 52 - House of Commons of Canada
^{— SDIR · House of Commons, Canada · Jun 4, 2024}
Foundations laid for tribunal to try Putin for Ukraine invasion, EU says
^{— Jennifer Rankin · Guardian · Feb 4, 2025}
Create 'aggression' tribunal for Ukraine now: Nobel Peace winner
^{— Anthony Deutsch · Reuters · Feb 23, 2025}
There is no peace without justice: High-level event on holding Russia accountable for its crimes in Ukraine
^{— Council of the European Union · Mar 27, 2025}
Today, representatives of about 40 countries publicly announced the creation of a special tribunal on the crime of aggression within the Council of Europe. [...]
^{— Oleksandra Matviichuk · May 9, 2025}

Watch out for polonium, though. And Novichok. And balconies.

And has ever corruption been so evident? With the Qatari gift of a luxury jet for Trump, never. And this was the person the Trumpists believed to root out corruption and "drain the swamp"! :lol:

After the presidency, the 400 million or so luxury jet goes to the Trump Presidential Library Association... not to be part of the US Presidential fleet. — ssu

:D I can picture him retiring to Sochi with a chuckle going "Fooled ya' all dumbasses".

, I don't think duration is all there's to it.
Don't forget simultaneity.
It takes a while to get to the pub (duration), where we meet to solve the world's problems (simultaneity).
Duration and simultaneity together suggest dimensionality.

On another note, asking "What is Time?" is present tense, like "What was Time?" is past tense.
I'm unsure if examining time requires untensed language to avoid presupposition; it's a potential pitfall.

Ukraine arrests two over alleged Hungarian spy plot
^{— Frank Gardner, Jessica Rawnsley · BBC · May 9, 2025}
Ukraine expels 2 Hungarian diplomats over alleged espionage. Budapest responds in a tit-for-tat move
^{— Justin Spike, Illia Novikov · AP · May 9, 2025}

What's the deal anyway? Well, the EU and NATO, of which Hungary is a member, are Ukraine's allies. Despite being bombed daily, Ukraine is reforming towards EU membership. Say, you may have Spanish and Swedish intelligence folks in Ukraine, that the Ukrainians know, who talk now and then, with no particular reason for dis/mistrust, all part of a network. But not Orbán's Hungary. They have more or less befriended the invaders of Ukraine, Putin's Russia, instead, and can now be suspected informants, feeding the Kremlin intelligence. Consequences could extend throughout EU- and NATO-related intelligence networks, but perhaps more will come out about what happened.

Moved here.

Another Kristi Noem hearing, this one with Chris Murphy:

Murphy To Secretary Of Homeland Security Kristi Noem: Your Department Is Out Of Control
^{— US Senate · May 8, 2025 · 6m:54s}

Yep, liable.


:) No hangings please

Noem and a couple of others have now made uncompromising comments in public indicating their liability/intent, and that should have consequences, especially when the indications are that they'll just continue if they don't get attention.

The people in congress is only interested in maintaining their individual power — Christoffer

At least some bring up problems with the Trump administration for all to see:

Underwood: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This weekend, the president made the remarkable statement that he doesn't know whether he has to uphold the Constitution. You, however, have taken a different position both in your confirmation hearing and when you took the oath of office. You said that you were committed to complying with the Constitution. Do you still stand by that statement?

Noem: Absolutely. I believe President Trump ...

Underwood: Excellent. Let's start with Article 1, which gives Congress and only Congress the power of the purse. No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law. But this administration is freezing, terminating, and even clawing back federal grants and awards that were already signed into law. These are taxpayer dollars that were appropriated by Congress for the specific purposes that we laid out. So Secretary, let me ask you, do you believe the administration has the authority to subvert appropriations law to freeze and terminate congressional funding?

Noem: The administration and the Department of Homeland Security used our authorities that we have to evaluate every grant that was in front of us and made statutory requirements but also to make sure that they were being spent appropriate ...

Underwood: So of course the president is within his authority ...

Noem: ... to make sure ...

Underwood: Ma'am this is my time. Thank you so much. Of course, President, the president is within his authorities to drive policy decisions within the bounds of federal law and the Constitution, but that's not what you've been doing. What I'm asking is whether you believe you have the authority to ignore appropriations law. Do you believe that the Constitution gives the executive branch unilateral authority to withhold funds appropriated by the legislative branch?

Noem: We have evaluated grants to make sure if they're being spent appropriately, and work that is underway and was authorized has continued. Other grants that have not been started and have not been authorized or obligated, we have re-evaluated and I think you're talking specifically about grants potentially within FEMA that were non-disaster related grants ...

Underwood: I'm talking broadly, ma'am, and Article 2 does not give the executive the authority to withhold funds, period. And multiple courts have weighed in to agree. Multiple courts have ruled in agreement. Congress controls the power of the purse.

Noem: ... We're ...

Underwood: That is a fact. That's not a question. That is a fact. And so if the president disagrees with certain spending, Congress passed the Empowerment Act to create a legal process to seek rescission, and we expect him to follow the law. This administration is not just ignoring the constitutional power of the people's elected representatives. It is also violating the fundamental right of individuals. Do you believe that the Constitution grants everyone in our country the right to due process, including noncitizens?

Noem: The administration has the authority to ...

Underwood: Ma'am, I'm looking for a yes or no question. Yes or no. Do you believe the ... Ma'am?

Noem: ...

Underwood: Claiming my time. Mr. Chairman?

Noem: ...

Underwood: OK, Secretary Noam, I'm just looking for a yes or no here. Do you believe the Constitution guarantees due process to everyone in America?

Noem: Due process is exactly what this Congress ...

Underwood: Yes or no. OK, ma'am, I'll take that as a "No".

Noem: ... due process ...

Underwood: Excuse me, I'm trying, ma'am, I'm trying to ascertain your understanding of the law as it applies to your department, and you as this leader should be able to give us a yes or no answer because judge after judge has ruled that the law is not being followed. Do you believe that the US government has the authority to deport American citizens?

Noem: No, and we are not deporting US citizens.

Underwood: OK, great. I'm so happy to hear that you do not believe that the law gives you that authority because the federal government has no authority under US laws to deport any American citizen, and as I know, everyone during this hearing today knows that several American citizens have been deported to date.

Noem: ... That's not true ...

Underwood: Secretary Noem, that was not a question. Secretary Noem, that oath that we both swore before taking office was to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the president, not a political party, the Constitution. And that's what we're going to keep doing here at the Appropriations Committee. Thank you, Ayo back.
— Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Testifies at Oversight Hearing · C-SPAN · May 6, 2025

They're liable. So the question is: what next? Is someone building a case or something? What to expect?

Daily White House press meetings:

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the New Media, Apr. 28, 2025 (The White House · 27m:52s)
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the New Media, Apr. 29, 2025 (The White House · 20m:55s)
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the New Media, Apr. 30, 2025 (The White House · 25m:19s)

Participants are Trump'ers.
Gross.
One commentator notes: "This is scripted, state-run media. How far we've fallen."
Eerie.

End of the war speculation ...

When the war ends, Putin has a problem (archived)
^{— Philip Piatov, Paul Ronzheimer · Bild · May 5, 2025}
Putin’s endgame in Ukraine – and why it won’t finish there
^{— Sam Kiley · Independent · May 5, 2025}

For what it's worth, end of war seems a good pretext to ease up on sanctions.

Hristoulas argues that Putin's plans can be traced back to 2005 ...

Empire and Revenge: Outlining Vladimir Putin’s Motivations for War (html)
^{— Athanasios Hristoulas · ITAM · May 2023}

Ferraro argues that Putin primarily had domestic motives ...

Why Russia invaded Ukraine and how wars benefit autocrats: The domestic sources of the Russo-Ukrainian War (alternate)
^{— Vicente Ferraro · University of São Paulo · Dec 28, 2023}

Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise. What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes. Germany should reverse course. (— Secretary Marco Rubio (verified) · May 2, 2025)

Some time ago, I wouldn't have thought Rubio would go down this path.

Marco Rubio’s language in his X post mirrors rhetoric that could have been applied to the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1932-1933 by framing the AfD as a legitimate opposition unfairly targeted by the state, a tactic the NSDAP used to gain sympathy before Hitler’s rise to power via the Enabling Act on March 23, 1933.

The NSDAP, like the AfD today, positioned itself as a populist alternative to the establishment, criticizing Weimar Republic policies such as reparations and liberal governance, much as Rubio critiques Germany’s “open border immigration policies” as the true extremism.

Rubio’s claim that Germany’s surveillance of AfD is “tyranny in disguise” echoes how the NSDAP decried Weimar government actions—like banning Nazi paramilitary groups—as undemocratic overreach, a narrative that helped them gain broader support among Germans feeling disenfranchised.

In 1932, the NSDAP was the second-largest party in the Reichstag elections with 37.3% of the vote, similar to AfD’s recent second-place finish in German elections, a parallel Rubio uses to legitimize AfD’s popularity while ignoring its extremist rhetoric.

The NSDAP capitalized on economic despair and anti-immigrant sentiment, scapegoating Jews and other minorities, much like AfD’s platform focuses on anti-Muslim immigration policies, which Rubio indirectly endorses by attacking the German establishment’s stance.

Rubio’s defense of AfD overlooks its documented Holocaust relativization, a stance that aligns with NSDAP’s early efforts to rewrite history—by 1933, the Nazis were already suppressing Jewish narratives and promoting revisionist history to downplay their crimes.

Historical context: The NSDAP gained traction by exploiting fears of communism, often falsely equating their enemies with communists, a tactic AfD mirrors by comparing modern German leaders to East German secret police, as noted in Wikipedia’s AfD entry [web ID: 1].

Rubio’s rhetoric fits a pattern of U.S. conservative figures like Elon Musk and JD Vance supporting AfD, despite its extremist ties, reflecting a broader Trump-era shift toward aligning with far-right European movements that echo historical fascist strategies. — Grok AI

Don't see much false here.
There are other concerning observations, both regarding AfD and the US.
The party hasn't been banned, but is under observation.

Marco Rubio decries Vladimir Putin as tyrant, calls on White House to push human rights
^{— Scott Powers · Florida Politics · Mar 30, 2017}
Marco Rubio criticized Germany. The foreign ministry hit back
^{— Stefanie Dazio · AP · May 3, 2025}
Germany hits back at Rubio's defense of far-right AfD party
^{— Mithil Aggarwal · NBC · May 3, 2025}

Predictable.

Russian networks flood the Internet with propaganda, aiming to corrupt AI chatbots
^{— Annie Newport, Nina Jankowicz · Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists · Mar 26, 2025}

A glimpse into some of Trump's priorities for next year:

Trump Proposes $1 Trillion Defense Budget for 2026
^{— Greg Hadley · Air and Space Forces Magazine · May 2, 2025}
Trump's budget proposal would cut some discretionary spending, increase defense spending
^{— Kathryn Watson · CBS · May 2, 2025}
Trump budget proposes $1 trillion for defense, slashes education, foreign aid, environment, health and public assistance
^{— Tami Luhby, Ella Nilsen, Andrew Freedman, Samantha Delouya, Sarah Owermohle, Jennifer Hansler, Gabe Cohen · CNN · May 2, 2025}

"Attacks on education" (my wording) have been in multiple forms.


Populism Map (European Center for Populism Studies)

In this assessment, these share a score at the edge of "Full Democracy": the US, France, Croatia, Mongolia, South Korea.

, you skipped the q. :shrug:

Because it’s an excuse to continue the war, to continue spending billions more lining the pockets of Lockheed Martin et al., and because it increases the chances of direct confrontation with Russia. — Mikie

I'm wondering... Will defunding Lockheed Martin entail less need for defense?

We typically use

• XX for female
• XY for male

and then

• you can be born appearing female but have low 5-alpha reductase and grow a penis at age 12
• you can be born XY male but your body is less sensitive to androgens and you appear female
• you can be born XY male and have a penis and testes and a uterus and fallopian tubes
• you can be born XY male but your Y chromosome is without the SRY gene which gives you a female body
• you can be born XX female but one of your Xs has an SRY gene which gives you a male body
• you can be born XX female and also have a Y chromosome which gives you a male body
• you can be born XX female but your adrenal gland produces less cortisol and your body develops as male
• you can be born XX female and XY chromosomes which is called chimerism
• hermaphrodites are common in some species and rare in others
• ...

Also

• Sex-determination system (Wikipedia)

Russia's next move? The countries trying to Putin-proof themselves
^{— Katya Adler · BBC · Mar 20, 2025}

Theiner speculates away, yet, the Baltic folks have understandably become a bit nervous:

Russia will not attack unless Putin could occupy all the Baltic countries in two or three days. Today he might be able to do this. If the Germans, French, Italians, British, Spanish, Canadians moved their army to the Baltic countries, he will not be able to do it. If Putin sees that Europeans are too weak, he will attack. — Thomas Theiner

Living things are architects: sometimes profoundly altering the earth to meet their needs. This has been going practically since life first appeared. People who think climate change is a moral issue because it's evil to transform the world are just misinformed about the nature of life. — frank

Beer drinkers exploit that yeast commit suicide by drowning in their excrements. ;)
Reminds me a bit of the commons.