AutokratDaily

Covering democracy's slow-motion retirement tour. Strongmen, great walls & historic elections

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

New Dispatch out now.

Israel seized Beaufort Castle. Tanks 60km from Beirut. Ships sailing dark through a mined Strait of Hormuz.

Trump demanding Gulf states normalize with Israel — or he walks away from the Iran deal.

Three stories. One thread. The Middle East is on fire. Washington is sending the bill. @Substack
https://t.co/1i3nm39OBa
#Lebanon #Israel #MiddleEast

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

Opposition leaders arrested.
Press freedom ranked alongside North Korea and Iran.
The pattern holds.
"What Abiy did is he killed politics."

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

Abiy Ahmed just won 457 of 547 parliamentary seats in Ethiopia.
Nobel Peace Prize winner. 500,000 dead in the Tigray civil war.
No voting in Tigray — "unfavourable conditions."
64 districts ran unopposed.
#Ethiopia #Africa

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

We said it this morning.
Hezbollah rejected the ceasefire within hours, calling it "illusory" and a surrender.
Israel kept striking southern Lebanon. Hezbollah kept firing rockets.
The agreement had little, if any, effect on the ground.
Ceasefire is just a word.
#Lebanon #israel

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

Meanwhile in Washington.

The House voted 215-208 to rein in Trump's Iran war powers. Four Republicans crossed the aisle.

Trump called the pace of peace talks "very boring."
Congress is drawing the line.
The dealmaker is bored. ⬇️⬇️
#US #Israel #Lebanon

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

Meanwhile in Washington.

The House voted 215-208 to rein in Trump's Iran war powers. Four Republicans crossed the aisle.

Trump called the pace of peace talks "very boring."
Congress is drawing the line.
The dealmaker is bored. ⬇️⬇️
#US #Israel #Lebanon

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

Israel and Lebanon agreed to another ceasefire.

The last one lasted weeks. Tit-for-tat attacks never stopped.
Today's agreement depends on Hezbollah's cooperation. Hezbollah is not part of the negotiations.
Israel's defence minister: "fire and ground operations will continue regardless."

In this part of the world, ceasefire is just a word.
#OperationGusher #Lebanon #Israel

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

@DD_Geopolitics 100,000 Albanians in the streets.
Not against a war. Not against a dictatorship.
Against a resort.
Jared Kushner's resort.
The family business is open. Albania said no.

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

@KeithKolich @fiocchettina5 @RpsAgainstTrump The investigation is already open. The prosecutors are watching.

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

When this ceasefire holds — if it holds — Trump will claim full credit.

The dealmaker who couldn't stop Israel's defence minister from announcing continued operations minutes after the agreement.

His influence on this side of the war: minimal at best. Zero at worst.

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

Israel and Lebanon agreed to another ceasefire.

The last one lasted weeks. Tit-for-tat attacks never stopped.
Today's agreement depends on Hezbollah's cooperation. Hezbollah is not part of the negotiations.
Israel's defence minister: "fire and ground operations will continue regardless."

In this part of the world, ceasefire is just a word.
#OperationGusher #Lebanon #Israel

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

Scott Bessent managed billions on Wall Street before joining the White House.
The last time he checked grocery prices was probably never.
But his most important job now isn't Treasury Secretary.
It's damage control for a president who said "I don't think about Americans' financial situation" — on camera, unprompted.
The shield has a tough job.

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

Trump says he doesn't know what's happening with the $1.8 billion DOJ "anti-weaponization" fund.

Strange. The DOJ is run by his personal lawyer — the man he hired specifically to keep him out of jail.

The same DOJ that is actively suing every political enemy on his list.
But the $1.8 billion? No idea.

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

@BRICSinfo Trump announces a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Israel says it will continue operations anyway.

The "great partner" does what he wants.
The dealmaker has no deal.

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

@KobeissiLetter The US House just voted 215-208 to restrict Trump's ability to continue the Iran War without congressional approval.
Four Republicans joined Democrats to pass it.
Even his own party is drawing the line.

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

@Reuters Trump wants to make Todd Blanche permanent Attorney General.
Blanche's most notable achievement: keeping Trump out of jail.
Qualifications for the job: personal loyalty, demonstrated results.
The justice system is in good hands.😁

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

@BRICSinfo "Great partner."
Netanyahu said he waited 40 years to find a president stupid and reckless enough to join him.
Yesterday their phone call was described as tense and difficult.
Today Trump calls him a "great partner."
The Ballroom must have been very convincing.

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

@BRICSinfo Iran struck Kuwait International Airport.
Terminals destroyed. Flights suspended. One person killed.
Trump: "wasn't a big deal."
He is always so emphatic.🤨

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

@KobeissiLetter Iran just struck Kuwait International Airport with missiles and drones.
Flights suspended. One person killed. Terminals damaged.
Trump says talks are still ongoing.
The ceasefire is collapsing in real time.
Has a ceasefire ever looked like this?🤔

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

@ABC He's now considering keeping the UFC arena on the White House lawn permanently.

The Eiffel Tower was also meant to be temporary.

Every emperor gets the monument he deserves.

[AutokratDaily @AutokratDaily]

Some build cathedrals. Some build the Colosseum.

Trump built a UFC cage on the White House lawn and compared it to the Eiffel Tower.

Every emperor gets the monument he deserves.😆

[Clash Report @clashreport]

Trump:

Many don't know, in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower, 1889, it was built. It was supposed to be taken down immediately after the World's Fair.

And then they said, "You know, we sort of like it. Let's leave it up a little bit longer." And then they said, "Let's leave it up longer and longer and longer." Well, they never took it down.

And, you know, we're building something in front of the White House that's quite attractive to a lot of people. It's gonna have the big UFC fight on June 14th.

And I'm looking at it, and maybe we'll never, ever take it down.