Behind Trump’s Public Bravado on the War, He Grapples With His Own Fears The president’s impulsive style has never been tested in a sustained military conflict, and he’s been ruminating on Jimmy Carter’s failure in Iran.

Quite a story!
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

US Ambassador to NATO Mike Waltz was asked about the reversal of the decision to renew US sanctions on Russian oil.

Comment from me below.

"Why is the US rewarding Russia, Mr. Ambassador?" the journalist asked. "Russia's working with Iran," she added.

... or argue about very large number of n's

This is just one example of how the US can learn from Ukraine.

Call for Participation: #ICAS2026
📍 Bologna, Italy
📅 21–23 Oct 2026

Submit your research on sustainable & regenerative agriculture, including economics, policy, and adoption pathways.
🔗 sciforum.net/event/ICAS2026
#SustainableAgriculture

Quinces harvested
🇳🇿🌱 #nzgarden

Strange how Zelenskyy "has no cards" according to Presidementia Trump, yet US Army chiefs openly praise Ukraine's military innovation.

The US is "learning a lot from them" says US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.

between the raindrops

Hundreds of Fake Pro-Trump Avatars Emerge on Social Media The artificial-intelligence-generated fake influencers have surged on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube in an apparent bid to hook conservative voters.

In the months leading up to the midterm elections, hundreds of accounts have emerged on social media featuring A.I.-generated pro-Trump influencers posting at a rapid pace. Several accounts have already amassed thousands followers. Some of the posts have more than half a million views.

In case their preferred choice(s) decline offer(s) - that happened at school i was doing phd, and their second choice got an invitation year after the interview

Over 32 hours of a large-scale combined attack:

🇷🇺 launched:
983 UAVs (drones)
20 Kh-101 cruise missiles
23 Iskander-M ballistic missiles
5 Iskander-K cruise missiles

🇺🇦 Intercepted:
945 UAVs
19 Kh-101 cruise missiles
8 Iskander-M ballistic missiles
4 Iskander-K missiles

🔗 t.me/mon1tor_ua/6...

Pakistan Suggests Fate Of Hormuz Strait Could Come Down To A Super Over ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact Pakistan has formally proposed to the United Nations Security Council that control of the Strait of Hormuz be decided by a Super Over, to be held at Lahore's ...

Smarter approach than whatever they are using now
www.betootaadvocate.com/pakistan-sug...

Horizontal lollipop chart showing Deliberative Democracy Index scores for 18 peer countries in 2025. Denmark ranks first at 0.87. New Zealand ranks 37th at 0.64, near the bottom of the group and below Australia (12th, 0.77), the UK (31st, 0.67), and most other comparable democracies. The USA ranks 58th at 0.48. NZ, Australia, UK, and USA are highlighted in colour.

NZ ranks 14th globally for liberal democracy. But 37th for deliberative democracy - how decisions get made and explained. And that ranking has been falling.

I dug into the latest data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project. Short 🧵 (1/5)

#nzpol

oh, noooo

The last of six guided aerial bomb strikes by Russia on the Pechenihy dam in Kharkiv Oblast. The reservoir behind the dam is full after the spring thaw, and a breach would cause serious flooding downstream as well as water supply disruptions in the area. The dam is still intact.

🤣

Should be part of his next test.

The Norfolk Pine in the middle is one of the first in Auckland

Rainbow at Mision Bay, Auckland, NZ

Good morning!

as opposed to most American bloggers "magg-yar" "taiza party"

as [ˈmɒɟɒr] (IPA) where [ɟ] is between "j" and soft "d"
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...

It was nice to hear this morning the RadioNZ presenter (Nicola Wright) correctly pronounce the name of the new Hungarian Prime Minister as [ˈmɒɟɒr]

To be fair: have not used X for more than a year, but got curious and peeked, all "for you" feed is "people basking in Orban’s demise"

We didn't clear house following Reconstruction or following the Civil Rights Movement and we absolutely have to do it next time.

"What do you mean, a new flatmate? Moving in when? What the fuck, Vlad?"

One key lesson the USA learned after 2021 is that if you don't move swiftly to hold the corrupt legally accountable, they can come back with vengeance, intent on burning everything down.

x.com/JakubKrupa/s...

or Putin in bunker

Hungary election live: Polls in Hungary close in tightly fought election after 16 years under Viktor Orbán Prime minister has been trailing in the polls to Péter Magyar in race that could have repercussions for Europe, the US and Russia

BREAKING: Victor Orban has CONCEDED to Magyar www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Hungary election live: Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in Hungarian election after 16 years in power Long-serving prime minister beaten by opposition after early results showed clear lead

Orban conceded
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...