The story Diana Denman told of her experience observing elections in UKR in '98 sticks with me tonight. I first heard it when I read her explanation of the GOP changing the platform w/regards to UKR in 2016--changing "lethal defensive weapons" to "appropriate assistance." 1/
Илон Маск все-таки удовлетворил требования и предоставил список акционеров "X Holding Corp", которые помогли миллиардеру купить Твиттер. И как вы думаете, кто же оказался инвесторами платформы X, кроме исламистов и Трамповского лобби? Правильно, Петр Авен и Вадим Мошкович. Теперь абсолютно очевидно, откуда у Маска такая любовь к России и откуда растут ноги у "фильтров" из-за антироссийских публикаций. Напомню, кто такие Авен и Мошкович.
Петр Авен — русский миллиардер, основатель "Альфа-групп", которая является одним из основных кошельков для Путина. Этот человек максимально подконтролен Кремлю, например, в 2018 году он вместе со своим коллегой Фридманом отправился в Вашингтон, чтобы лоббировать от имени российского правительства снятие международных санкций с РФ. Авен — один из самых старых друзей Путина. В целом без вмешательства Петра Путин сидел бы в тюрьме, а не стал президентом. Ведь Авен прикрыл Владимира Путина в 1992 году, когда тот организовал незаконную торговлю экспортными лицензиями. Авен в срочном порядке утвердил его уполномоченным МВЭС с правом внешнеэкономической деятельности, тем самым спасая будущего диктатора от тюрьмы. Также Авен присутствовал на встрече с Путиным 24 февраля 2022 года в честь начала вторжения в Украину. Он не выразил никакого протеста, начала "СВО" и молча поддержал Путина. К слову, он вместе с Фридманом пытается снять с себя санкции, буквально вчера он получил очередной отказ в этом вопросе.
В покупке Твиттера представлен компанией "8VC Opportunities Fund II, L.P.", в которой работает его сын Денис.
Вадим Мошкович — подсанкционный русский аграрный миллиардер, который являлся членом "Совета Федерации Федерального собрания Российской Федерации". Другими словами, он официально входил в самый приближенный круг Путина. Мошкович владеет крупнейшим в России агрохолдингом "Русагро". Естественно, он также присутствовал на встрече с Путиным 24 февраля 2022 года и, как и Авен, не выразил никакого протеста против вторжения России в Украину.
В покупке Твиттера представлен компанией "8VC Opportunities Fund II, L.P.", в которой работает его сын Джек (Евгений).
Также интересной личностью является Аль-Валид ибн Талал Аль Сауд, который как лично, так и через свою компанию Kingdom Holding Company, представлен в списке инвесторов аж три раза. Этот человек продолжает инвестиционный бизнес в России и не публично поддерживает ХАМАС в войне против Израиля. По инвестициям в Россию он регулярно сотрудничает с компаниями Роснефть, Лукойл и Газпром.
Зная все это, как вообще можно вести дискуссии по поводу заангажированности Илона Маска? Все думали, как такое возможно, что акции Твиттера (X) падают, рекламодатели разрывают договора, и никто ничего не делает. Это же прямой ущерб инвесторам. Но все не учли факт того, что инвесторам неважна прибыль, им нужна была платформа, чтобы продвигать свои нарративы, такие как: поддержка Путина и России; лоббирование заморозки войны в Украине; вывод украинской повестки из топа новостей; праведность деятельности ХАМАС и т.д.
Теперь очевидно, что все изменения в Твиттере, которые гробят эту прекрасную платформу, это следствие сотрудничества Илона Маска с такими людьми, как Мошкович и Авен.
#ElonMusk
#RussiaUkraineWar #RussialsATerroristState
Zelensky is making the right choice. The only path to peace with Putin is to cut off his ability to finance the war. That means going after Russian oil and gas. The US should back up Ukraine by continuing full sanctions on Russia. Putin only understands strength and is disdainful of concessions. https://t.co/D98PMHPR5v
He derides "affordability" because he knows it is his Achilles Heel. (Not to be confused with his phony bone-spurs military exemption.) Inflation is up, gas is up, prices are up, all because of his knuckle-headed actions on Iran and tariffs. And every Republican official supported him. #Bluewave.
I’ve spent my life helping my country and neighbors.
And I hate what my country is now.
We don’t have to be this way, this fascist racist sexist violent ugly garbage way we are now. But that means we
Have to change it now. Now. Or we break it. And we won’t be able to fix it.
Early voting is underway in North Carolina! Before heading to the polls, make sure you know which forms of photo ID are accepted and which options are available if you don’t have one.
He had no children of his own. But when his brother was killed, he took responsibility for all eight of his brother’s children.
Volodymyr was just 24 years old. He wasn’t married, had no children of his own, and just six months earlier, he had been fighting on the front lines. Today, he is a father to eight children.
This story took place in 2023. Volodymyr Dubrovets, from Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region, was defending his country in the Donetsk region.
But when the unthinkable happened, his life changed completely.
He recalled going to the military recruitment office on February 24. He had never served in the military before, so they didn’t take him immediately.
He waited one week, then another. Nobody called. Eventually, he found an announcement online about an operation to break the siege of Mariupol and traveled to Zaporizhzhia. He then spent nine months fighting on the Donetsk front.
And then tragedy struck.
His older brother and sister-in-law were killed. They were driving home when their car skidded off a slippery road onto the shoulder and hit a landmine.
The explosion was so powerful that a soldier at a checkpoint three kilometers away had his phone knocked out of his hands. Almost nothing remained of the car.
His older brother, Petro, was 38 years old. Petro’s wife was just 31.
They left behind eight children. The oldest was 13. The youngest, little Marichka, was only two months old.
At first, the family thought their older sister could become the children’s guardian. But she couldn’t. Then they considered their parents. But their father was 70, their mother was 60, and there were eight children to care for, including a newborn.
That’s when Volodymyr said he would take them all.
He was only 24. No wife. No children of his own.
But he wasn’t afraid.
He had been helping care for the little ones for years. He knew how to change diapers and prepare bottles. And whenever he couldn’t manage everything himself, his parents, sister, and brother stepped in to help.
What worried Volodymyr most wasn’t himself.
He wondered whether he would ever find someone to share his life with. Maybe in a year. Maybe in ten years. But finding a woman willing to accept eight children…
He didn’t know whether that was even possible.
But one thing was certain. He would stay with these children until the very end. Not just until they turned 18, but for the rest of his life.
He had become both their father and their mother.
That year, Volodymyr celebrated his first Father’s Day. And the children congratulated him.
They proudly explained that their new dad could do absolutely everything.
He could build a birdhouse, cook borscht, fly a kite, play soccer, read bedtime stories, warm up soup, play checkers, and take them fishing.
They called him the best dad in the world.
Volodymyr smiled.
He still didn’t know whether he could handle everything that lay ahead.
But he already knew one thing for certain – he would never abandon them.
Source: translated from Oleh Bairak.
The White House is hiding a report about your taxes until after you vote.
Every year the IRS publishes data showing what people at every income level deducted and what they owed. This year’s version is the first real look at the big Republican tax law from 2025. It was supposed to come out in July. Then September. It’s now the middle of October.
The official line is they want the numbers to be accurate. What a convenient time to suddenly care about that.
Full story at the link in the comments ⬇️
🟠 LIKELY: The decision to restrict Starshield service in Ukraine now appears to be a US and DoD policy decision. We've upgraded our assessment, and are continuing to monitor developments live. Follow our tracker here.
https://t.co/b53qsGezhl
Feels like we don’t talk enough about how Peter Thiel, who puppeteers JD Vance and funds Trump, has written that he “no longer believes freedom and democracy are compatible”
We are literally being run by people who oppose our very system of government.
https://t.co/T0W9dxKQTr
I called Trump’s diesel deal with Putin “a deepening betrayal” on Monday. Now it’s clear he’s a despicable traitor with blood on his hands as intel is cut and Ukraine’s civilian deaths mount. He’s making all of us less safe. https://t.co/5yNCwaYrw7
The United States is more than Trump. America is millions of people with big hearts who have not turned their backs on Ukraine during the darkest hour of our history.
To every American who supports us, helps us, and continues to believe in Ukraine: thank you. Thank you for your kindness, your solidarity, and for reminding us that we are not alone in this fight.
We may never know your names, meet you in person, or speak the same language. But your support reaches us across an ocean, and it means more than words can ever express.
One day, when this war is over, we will remember not only those who turned away from us, but also those who stood by our side when it mattered most.
America is not just its president. America is also you. And we will never forget that.
A month ago, when everything was kitchen table and Iran war, I suggested that THE issue that will take Trump down more than any other, is corruption.
I said this because he was so increasingly brazen, so tone deaf to how it looked, and behaviorally, I didn't think he could or would stop.
Well - the folks at Gallup, who have been measuring population perception of corruption for two decades, said today that 89% of Americans say corruption is widespread in the Trump 2.0 government. That's not “some,” and it's not even "most."
It breaks as 91% of Democrats, 90% of independents, and even 83% of Republicans! Highest US corruption measurement in Gallup history.
And - of the largest and richest democracies on Earth, America is now #1 in perceived government corruption. The only countries scoring higher, per Gallup, since 2023 are Lebanon, Peru, Ghana and Nigeria.
That is the company America is now in. Not with Canada. Not with Norway. With Lebanon and Nigeria.
It gives new meaning to America First.
F*ck you, MAGA.
In my own opinion, we need to do the same to russia. We need to leave Moscow without power. Only then will the russian people force Putin to change his mind. We cannot sit idly by and let russian commit genocide against Ukraine without responding. Not with words, with fire. 🇺🇦
🚨BREAKING: The Trump administration posted more political ads on the official White House YouTube Monday, appearing to defy a court order that blocked the ads from being aired, pro-democracy groups told a federal court. https://t.co/UMRdEawfZT
😳 This is scary, and unfortunately it’s possible. Trump will do anything to keep control, even using the Insurrection Act. The only way to fight it is to #VoteBlue in numbers too big to rig!
Our #VoteFromAbroad is critical! 🇺🇸🌍
Read more: https://t.co/sINjlWp4d2 🙏 #CulturalPerspectives
I began my visit to Brussels with a meeting with @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte. As always, we are coordinating closely to provide greater protection and security for Ukraine.
Unfortunately, Russia responded to yet another attempt by the American President to reduce the intensity of strikes with new waves of attacks on our energy, residential buildings, and other infrastructure. Over the past few days, there have been several waves of ballistic missile strikes, and attack “shahed” drones are in our skies almost constantly. Since midnight yesterday and up to now, the Russians have already launched around 1,000 drones.
All of these are major challenges, especially against the backdrop of restrictions on Starlink operations in Ukraine, which is why it is so important that defense supplies from NATO partners continue. This is especially true for ballistic missile interceptors and munitions for F-16s. We are working on new air defense packages. Literally every day and every hour, such new packages can save the lives of Ukrainians. We discussed this and other important issues during our meeting. I thank Mark for his support and readiness to help!
These are the "tenants of fascism." Rather than get into a big argument over whether Trump is a fascist, tell me which of these boxes he doesn't check off.
• Extreme Nationalism (Ultranasionalism): Belief in the absolute supremacy of the nation or a dominant ethnic group, often tied to a mythic past of greatness and national decline.
• Authoritarianism and Dictatorial Leadership: Concentration of total political power in a single, infallible leader or a ruling party with a strong cult of personality.
• Totalitarian Ambitions: The belief that the state is all-embracing and that no human or spiritual values can exist outside of it; individual rights are completely subordinated to the state.
• Militarism and Violence: Reification of war, imperialist expansion, and physical force as necessary tools for national rejuvenation and purging perceived decadence.
• Rejection of Democracy and Liberalism: Opposition to parliamentary democracy, individual civil liberties, the rule of law independent of the state, and political pluralism.
• Opposition to Marxism and Socialism: Rejection of class struggle and left-wing ideologies, often replacing them with enforced national or racial unity (Volksgemeinschaft).
• Corporatism: An economic model where the state directs and integrates private corporate and labor interests to serve national and state objectives rather than free-market independence.
• Scapegoating and Xenophobia: Demonization of outgroups—such as minority groups, immigrants, political dissidents, and foreign nations—blamed for the nation's struggles.