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Items tagged with: war
"We're at war."
So Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.). tells Katie Phang unambiguously, despite the disclaimers of the White House folks that we're at war.
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/14
katiephang.substack.com/p/we-a…
"We are at war."
This was a hugely important conversation with someone who actually knows what they're talking about.Katie Phang
"As of this morning we have credible reports that the president and secretary of defense lied to the American people over the weekend. The Iranian nuclear program was neither 'completely and totally obliterated' or dealt a 'final blow' by the American strike."
~ Jonathan V. Last
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/14
Fallout
Trump lied. Iran’s nuclear program wasn’t “completely and totally obliterated” So now what?Jonathan V. Last (The Bulwark)
"On Sunday I cited Snyder for an important first principle of war: 'Many things reported with confidence in the first hours and days will turn out not to be true.'”
~ Jay Kuo
But this will not stop the willing parrots in corporate media from breathlessly reporting whatever falls out of Trumpian mouths as if it's gospel truth, or the many armchair soldiers pecking away at keys on social media.
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/13
statuskuo.substack.com/p/their…
Their Iran Narrative Is Unraveling
We can’t trust anything the administration is saying or doing on Iran.Jay Kuo (The Status Kuo)
"Iran has said that it attacked American forces stationed at Qatar’s Al Udeid air base.
The announcement was made on state television as martial music played, with a caption on the screen calling it 'a mighty and successful response by the armed forces of Iran to America’s aggression'."
~ The Guardian
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/15
"A ridiculously passive NYT headline over the weekend read: 'U.S. Military Is Pulled Back Into Middle East Wars.' As if the country with the 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs had no agency. As if its leaders were helpless actors in someone else’s script."
~ Mark Jacob
Let me fix that, NYT:
"Donald Trump Pulls the US — the Entire Nation — Back Into Middle East Wars"
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation #media #NewYorkTimes
/16
stopthepresses.news/p/please-m…
Please, media, don’t turn the war into entertainment
8 things for journalists to keep in mind as they cover Trump’s military movesMark Jacob (Stop the Presses)
"The Trump who threw a birthday parade and used the military like a prop invited ridicule. The Trump who deploys troops to the streets of Los Angeles and drops bombs on Iran is altogether more dangerous.
Exit the showman. Enter the strongman."
~ David Smith
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/12
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/j…
Trump’s war with Iran signals perilous shift from showman to strongman
The emergence of Hawk Trump dismayed some of his Maga base but students of US adventurism were unsurprisedDavid Smith (The Guardian)
"Trump has forfeited the benefit of the doubt. We should be deeply skeptical of yesterday's mission and any information or further action to come. Trump is a liar and an idiot. Incompetent and inexperienced people surround him."
~ Jeff Timmer quoted by Greg Dworkin
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/11
dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/23…
Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Okay, after Wag the Dog, now what?
Juliette Kayyem/ X via Threadreader (format lightly edited): I don't know if this was successful or just attacks on surface level access. But there are consequences and so here are issues to ...Daily Kos
"He was going to drop that gigantic Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb from the moment he learned it existed. He needed that bombing campaign the way he needs golf courses and Diet Cokes and well-done steaks. He needed the White House appearance last night backed up by his war puppies, Vance, Hegseth, and Rubio."
~ Lucian K. Truscott
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/10
luciantruscott.substack.com/p/…
Another lie, another war
If there is one thing we have learned about Donald Trump over the last 10 years – for New Yorkers, over the last 50 – it is that you cannot believe anything he says.Lucian K. Truscott IV (Lucian Truscott Newsletter)
"I fear that Trump’s war with Iran will enable him to use these three pretexts — terrorism, national emergency, and war — to further suppress dissent at home, narrow freedom of speech and expression, make warrantless searches and arrests of Americans, imprison opponents, and put more military onto our streets."
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/9
"Trump has already tried to use three pretexts to usurp power — terrorism, national emergency, and war itself — to justify his mass deportations, universal tariffs, and consolidations of power."
~ Robert Reich
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/8
robertreich.substack.com/p/wha…
What I fear Trump will do with his war
Centralize even more power and curtail even more civil libertiesRobert Reich
"The United States is well down the road to dictatorship. Imagine what Trump would do with a state of war. ...
Indeed, I can think of nothing more perilous to American democracy right now than going to war. Think of how Trump can use a state of war to strengthen his dictatorial control at home."
~ Robert Kagan
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/7
"As Robert Kagan warns at The Atlantic, wars are often used to advance authoritarian policies at home — a terrifying prospect given Trump’s ongoing attack on constitutional rights."
~ Noah Berlatsky
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/6
publicnotice.co/p/trump-iran-s…
Trump’s reckless Iran strikes could backfire spectacularly
America has entered few wars with less forethought, less deliberation, and more contempt for the public.Noah Berlatsky (Public Notice)
"War is the deadliest distraction in the authoritarian’s playbook…"
~ Thom Hartmann
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/5
"This would not be the first time that an autocrat has used a war to deflect attention, crack down domestically, and silence dissent. With his domestic agenda hugely unpopular and his legal losses piling up, bombing Iran would be the most dramatic (and dangerous) way to shift gears."
~ Jennifer Rubin
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/4
contrarian.substack.com/p/trum…
Trump ‘wags the dog’
Risky military action disrupts the political dynamicJennifer Rubin (The Contrarian)
"Exactly a week after his military parade fizzled and more than five million Americans turned out to protest his administration, President Donald J. Trump announced that the U.S. had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites: Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan."
~ Heather Cox Richardson
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/3
heathercoxrichardson.substack.…
June 22, 2025
Last night, exactly a week after his military parade fizzled and more than five million Americans turned out to protest his administration, President Donald J.Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
"On March 20, 2003, President George W. Bush began the bombing campaign in Iraq, justifying the attack with manipulated and bogus intelligence. Twenty-two years later, history is repeating itself."
~ Judd Legum
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/2
popular.info/p/a-new-war-based…
A new war based on manipulated intelligence
More than two decades after the Iraq War commenced, history is repeating itself.Judd Legum (Popular Information)
"If you’re surprised, frankly, you’re a fool. You understand nothing about politics and international affairs, and you bought into obviously dishonest propaganda about who Donald Trump is."
~ Michael Tomasky
#Trump #Iran #war #authoritarianism #autocrat #lies #disinformation
/1
newrepublic.com/article/197079…
If You Thought Donald Trump Would Never Do This, You’re an Idiot
The most pernicious delusion of this era has been the idea that Trump is “the peace president.” His decision to bomb Iran shatters this myth.The New Republic
Israeli airstrikes kill at least 52 people, including 36 sheltering in school-turned-shelter in Gaza Strip, local officials say. @AssociatedPress reports:
#israel #palestine : #war / #gaza / #media / #journalism / #accusations
»A new report accuses Israel of waging an “unrelenting war on the press.”«
The #DOJ in a filing asked #SCOTUS to lift DC-based US District Judge James #Boasberg's March 15 order calling for a temporary halt of the summary removals of the #Venezuelans while a legal challenge to #Trump’s invocation of the #AlienEnemiesAct to justify the #deportations plays out. The 18th century #law historically has been used only in wartime [& expressly states the #US must be at #war w/a foreign #nation for its use].
#immigration #DueProcess #CivilRights
documentcloud.org/documents/25…
There was a #women's half-#marathon in #Kyiv #Ukraine earlier this month called the Kyiv Pink Run (everyone wears pink)
The runners unexpectedly intersected the funeral procession for a fallen warrior in Ukraine's #war against #ethnofascist #imperialism
And then this happened:
(the text in #Ukrainian at the end references their running friend Natalka Samoilenko, killed by Russia in #Bucha in 2022, they were running in her #memory: facebook.com/groups/fartlekua/… )
#UkraineWar #HeroyamSlava #Honor
Acc/to NATO’s most recent stats, last year 23 #NATO members’ #defense spending exceeded 2% of their GDP. 5 of those nations — #Estonia, #Greece, #Latvia, #Poland & the #US — spent >3%. Poland had the highest percentage, dedicating 4.12% of its GDP to defense.
The potential shift in how the US participates in NATO comes as #Trump is pushing European #allies to do more to #aid #Ukraine in its #war w/ #Russia & to play a major role in maintaining #peace if a deal to end the war is reached.
Elon Musk publicly supports call for US to exit NATO, UN
kyivindependent.com/elon-musk-…
"Both #NATO & the #UN were founded by the #US & other victors of #WorldWarII to promote #diplomacy and cooperation between nations as well as to prevent another global #war.
#Musk, an unelected official, currently heads the so-called Dept of Govt Efficiency, which has cut significant amounts of #government spending, including life-saving foreign aid."
#ElonMusk #Doge #Coup #Fascism #Trump #GOP #Politics #News
Elon Musk publicly supports call for US to exit NATO, UN
Both NATO and the U.N. were founded by the U.S. and other victors of World War II to promote diplomacy and cooperation between nations as well as to prevent another global war.The Kyiv Independent news desk (The Kyiv Independent)
President Volodymyr #Zelensky of #Ukraine appealed to the #Trump admin on Wed to respect the #truth & avoid #disinformation in discussing the #war that began w/a #Russia invasion of his country, in his first response to Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine had started the war.
Zelensky said that the #US president was “living in a disinformation space” & in a “circle of disinformation.”
#geopolitics #RussianPropaganda #USpol #FarRight
nytimes.com/2025/02/19/world/e…
#CPPotD Canadian Politics Poll of the Day!
Should Canada contribute to a Europe-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine?
"What are the prospects of European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine? Leaders remain divided"
euronews.com/my-europe/2025/02…
#russiaUkrainewar #Russia #Ukraine #cdnpoli #canpoli #nato #Europe #war
- Yes (100%, 111 votes)
- No (0%, 0 votes)
- Yes - Only if the USA participates (0%, 0 votes)
𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝑩𝒆 𝑨 𝑺𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓
This 22-minute short film was made by the US Army just after the Second World War, warning about the tactics that Nazis use to gain power.
It's baffling how many parallels there are with current political developments. I think this video should be shown in every school around the world.
fedi.video/w/t4sN6wtVxGox9V8My…
#politics #fascism #political #US #USA #europe #russia #nazi #nazis #germany #WW2 #WWII #war
Don't Be A Sucker (1947) (short film warning about fascism and the tricks it uses to gain power)
Short film made by the US Army just after the Second World War, warning about the tactics that Nazis use to gain power by dividing minorities from each other and telling blatant lies. More info: ht...Fedi.Video
Mariupol. Unlost Hope (2022)
It follows the people who spent the first month of the invasion in the city of Mariupol.boxd.it
[Nobel Lecture, 2005, Harold Pinter] Art, Truth & Politics
persagen.org/docs/harold_pinte…
COMMENT
* still relevant [replace art w. social media]
* vicious/scathing commentary on search for truth in art, avoidance of truth in politics
* Nobel Prize in Literature 2005 awarded to Harold Pinter
"who in his plays uncovers precipice under everyday prattle & forces entry into oppression's closed rooms"
#HaroldPinter #NobelPrize #literature #SocialCommentary #war #fascism #politics #corruption #posttruthism
#israel #palestine : #war / #gaza / #opt / #agriculture / #settlers / #occupation
„East of Ramallah, the village of Burqa lives in fear of being attacked by Jewish extremists whose illegal settlements are expanding. Now that the harvest season has begun, incidents are increasingly frequent throughout the occupied territory.“
Ukrainian spies say they have intercepted phone calls from Russian troops saying their military’s integration of North Korean soldiers isn’t going well. On audio released by Ukraine’s spy agency, Russian soldiers sound doubtful they have enough commanders and weapons for the new arrivals. On one call, a Russian soldier was “outraged” that armored vehicles in short supply were being given to North Korean troops. Read more from @USAToday.
#Ukraine #Russia #NorthKorea #War #Military #Spying
Chaos as Russia tries to absorb North Korean troops, Ukraine spies say
In the calls, which Ukrainian spies said they intercepted, Russian soldiers complain that "we all work like translators now.", USA TODAY (USA TODAY)
#israel #lebanon : #war / #hezbollah/ #media / #press / #warreporter / #killings
„Local news station Al Jadeed aired footage from the scene — a collection of chalets that had been rented by various media outlets — showing collapsed buildings and cars marked PRESS covered in dust and rubble. The Israeli army did not issue a warning prior to the strike.“
seattletimes.com/nation-world/…
Israeli strikes kill 38 people in Gaza’s Khan Younis and 3 journalists in southern Lebanon
Israeli strikes have killed 38 people in Gaza and three journalists in Lebanon on Friday.The Seattle Times
An investigation by NYT found that Israeli soldiers & intelligence agents, throughout the #war in #Gaza, have regularly forced captured #Palestinians like Shubeir to conduct life-threatening reconnaissance missions to avoid putting Israeli soldiers at risk on the battlefield.
#Israel #WarCrimes #InternationalLaw #law #RulesOfWar #war #MiddleEast #geopolitics
In one wrecked building, he stopped in his tracks: Running along the wall, he said, was a series of wires attached to #explosives.
“The soldiers sent me like a dog to a booby-trapped apartment,” said Shubeir, a HS student. “I thought these would be the last moments of my life.”
#Israel #WarCrimes #InternationalLaw #law #RulesOfWar #war #MiddleEast #geopolitics
After Israeli soldiers found Mohammed Shubeir hiding w/his family in early March, they detained him for roughly 10 days before releasing him w/o charge, he said.
During that time, Shubeir said, the soldiers used him as a #HumanShield.
Shubeir, then 17, said he was forced to walk handcuffed through the empty ruins of his hometown, Khan Younis, in southern #Gaza, searching for #explosives set by #Hamas. To avoid being blown up themselves, the soldiers made him go ahead.
How #Israel’s Army Uses #Palestinians as #HumanShields in #Gaza
Israeli soldiers & Palestinian fmr detainees say troops have regularly forced captured Gazans to carry out life-threatening tasks, including inside #Hamas tunnels.
#WarCrimes #InternationalLaw #law #RulesOfWar #war #MiddleEast #geopolitics
nytimes.com/2024/10/14/world/m…
#geopolitics #MiddleEast #war #Hezbollah #Gaza #Hamas