updrage

Welp... this is a thing.

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

BREAKING: Ukraine's President Zelensky says President Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russia and allow it to export diesel was "not fair and not honest," per Axios.

"You know, it looks like a happy birthday present for Putin. It looks absolutely terrible," Zelensky said.

[Drop Site @DropSiteNews]

🇺🇸🇵🇸 Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Friday called on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Republican Sen. Jim Risch, to hold a hearing into what he called a "coverup" at the US Embassy in Israel. The call follows a New York Times investigation this week.

Citing US officials, the Times reported that David Milstein, a top aide to Ambassador Mike Huckabee, blocked an embassy report on the killings of nine Palestinian Americans in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and security forces over four years.

The report, completed in March, found that Israeli investigations had stalled, some cases had been closed and no one had been charged. Milstein reportedly argued that the embassy should say Israel was handling the cases properly.

He pushed to send a letter to Van Hollen instead of the full report after Van Hollen had led 30 members of Congress in demanding answers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Times also reported that Milstein rewrote or delayed cables on settler violence and settlement expansion.

[The Hormuz Letter @HormuzLetter]

BREAKING: Trump announces Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel to the "American and Global Marketplace," with another 500,000 tons in November, 1,000,000 tons after that and 3,000,000 tons later depending on "the condition of their Diesel Refineries," saying diesel prices will be "COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST."

That is just 15 hours of American diesel use, and only if every barrel stays here. 300,000 tons is about 2.2 million barrels against US distillate demand of around 3.6 million barrels a day, and Trump's own wording sends the fuel to the "American and Global Marketplace," so it will not.

All four tranches together come to about 36 million barrels, roughly ten days of US demand, spread over months and shared with the rest of the world.

Russia halted its own diesel exports until the November, and Zelensky said a week ago that Ukraine will escalate its strikes on Russian refineries this winter.

[unusual_whales @unusual_whales]

BREAKING: Top executives at Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI companies are privately gaming out scenarios for a public and political revolt after a catastrophic AI event, and they assume one in 2027, per Axios

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

BREAKING: President Trump says the White House considers anyone who uses the term “Artificial Intelligence” the enemy.

[Laura Bassett @LEBassett]

“If you don’t like public executions just don’t watch it” says the crowd trying to ban drag shows

[DSA @DemSocialists]

Abolish ICE

[Darializa for Congress @DarializaforNY]

This afternoon, ICE shot and hospitalized someone in Marble Hill, in my district. There is no reforming a terrorizing, unaccountable militia. Our neighbors are not targets. Abolish ICE NOW. Not one more life should be harmed to its guns or its prisons.

https://t.co/5H3xjQJrjX

[Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor]

This afternoon in Marble Hill, a New Yorker was shot by an ICE agent in a residential neighborhood. Early reports indicate agents surrounded him and a 5-year-old child in his car before firing multiple rounds. We believe the child was physically unharmed.

This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation. I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities.

Our thoughts are with the injured New Yorker and his family tonight. We are praying for his recovery.

Get ICE out of our neighborhoods. Get ICE out of our hospitals. Get ICE off our streets. Get ICE away from our children.

Abolish ICE.

[updrage @updrage]

In this economy!?!?

[Ken Klippenstein @kenklippenstein]

I regret to inform you that my newsletter has become sentient. Turns out the writing is just too smart and therefore worthy of your patronage

[The Hormuz Letter @HormuzLetter]

BREAKING: US State Department issues security alert for the entire Middle East, warning Americans that "the hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly" and to expect possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions.

The alert comes as the US prepares an intense three-day military campaign against Iran, with targets including Iran's energy facilities and missile sites. US military commanders say they are ready to begin large-scale operations in the coming days.

[unusual_whales @unusual_whales]

BREAKING: The execution of Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Hasan by firing squad will be "made public so people can watch it," per Pete Hegseth.

It will happen on December 3, at the same base where he carried out the massacre.

[Ro Khanna @RoKhanna]

Marc Short, in a segment prior to mine, smeared @AbdulElSayed.

He suggests Democrats should fear for our safety campaigning with Abdul because Abdul is pro-Hamas.

We can never let such Islamophobia go unanswered.

[The Hormuz Letter @HormuzLetter]

BREAKING: Israel says that fighting with Iran could resume within weeks and has raised its alert and readiness levels despite Trump's statement today, after a series of situation assessments held in the defense establishment hours ago, per Channel 14.

Israel is at a "very high level" of preparedness for renewed military action soon and says it is also prepared for preemptive action against Iran if preparations for an Iranian attack are identified.

The Israeli military is examining acting in cooperation with the US, with one scenario being that Israel leads the move.

The defense establishment adds that a significant security development may require immediate action regardless of Israel's election timetable.

[The Hormuz Letter @HormuzLetter]

Trump, for a third time, suggests Iran should take out US cities, saying "I say it all the time, let's see what would happen if Iran ever did anything to Los Angeles or San Diego. I'm talking about through missiles. You want to see problems, let them hit Los Angeles or San Diego."

[Ken Klippenstein @kenklippenstein]

Trump says people who say 'artificial intelligence' instead of 'super intelligence' are "THE ENEMY." This follows government targeting of AI critics as foreign agents, which I reported on here: https://t.co/aHBJBsTe4p

[Zaid Jilani @ZaidJilani]

I think you’re confused, this is America and you’re allowed to go to Arab restaurants any day of the year. If you prefer apartheid then please consider Israel.

[Ken Klippenstein @kenklippenstein]

Diplomatic cable leaked to me shows Marco Rubio order embassies to bar people from the US for speech-related reasons. Hours later, Rubio gave a speech at the Acropolis celebrating "free debate and public discussion":
https://t.co/7N5aRDLr0Y

[Sean Morrow @snmrrw]

Never forget that David Ellison's Skydance Media was originally created so he could be an actor.

Skydance's first film was 'Flyboys' starring James Franco and... David Ellison. David and his daddy invested $60m to make Flyboys.

It grossed $17m

Here's a bit of David's acting:

[Adam Johnson @adamjohnsonCHI]

Referring to genocide as a “zeitgeist-y issue” is shockingly glib and shows how much “Gaza” remains a perceived leftwing neurosis or boutique hangup to our media class rather than a grave war crime leveled against real humans who’ve lost real loved ones w/ full and complete lives