This is probably why Russia has sought to bilaterally discuss economic cooperation with the US without having to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine first.

Americans favour democracy in principle, but poor political leadership means they are dissatisfied with it in practice | LSE United States Politics and Policy Improving political leadership and reforming government can build on support for the democratic system and improve the quality of democracy citizens experience.

Americans value democratic governance as much as most of the other democratic countries. The citizens are alright, the politicians are the problem.
blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...

Ukraine was the first European country to support of the US/Israeli war in Iran as they see this as another front in the same war. They have taken people off their front lines defending Ukraine to defend America and its allies in the Gulf. US gratitude to Ukraine might lead more allies to help.

Getting paid to promote Kremlin views should normally preclude someone from getting a security clearance.

The coming compute war in Ukraine For the United States, the coming compute war isn't just a Ukrainian problem—it's a preview of US challenges in future conflict.

The coming computational war: Reliance on data centers to support offensive and defensive operations means that the centers directly, the electrical supply they need to run, or the water supply they require for cooling are all potential targets www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-seri...

Ukrainian strikes on the largest coastal oil ports and fuel storage facilities have created a critical situation in Russia. The population finally saw what war is. The economy is in crisis. The mood began to change. Putin cannot help but try to do something radical to "win".

That ISIS attack in 2024 the US warned Russia about and they dismissed those warnings. Either Putin was unaware or disinterested in protecting his people.

Ukraine's knowledge about fighting drone wars is indispensable. Low-cost, high-scale drone production creates an asymmetric advantage.

Chinese device found in strategic waters near Bali identified A large torpedo-shaped device discovered near an island in a strategically important strait between Bali and Lombok has been identified by defence analysts as a Chinese undersea monitoring system.

Potential dual use system found near Australia-Indonesia waterways used to monitor undersea environment to track submarines
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...

DOJ Rapid Response • O @DOJRR47 X.com Yesterday the Department of Justice filed a motion to vacate the convictions of several Americans who had received clemency from President Trump. This ends these years-long, Biden-era weaponized prosecutions. President Trump demanded we stop the two-tiered injustice—and we are delivering. No more rigged system. 1:32 PM • 4/15/26 • 6.7K Views

The individuals referenced here are adjudicated terrorists.

They were found guilty of conspiring to use force against their own government to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.

A conservative, Trump-appointed judge applied terrorism enhancements to their sentences.

Trump repeats he is 'not happy with Australia' as Hormuz crisis continues Donald Trump again accuses Australia of refusing to help the US in the Strait of Hormuz, but the Australian government maintains there has been no formal request from the US.

Stories like this get political classes in a frenzy. But a) this is buffered by the massive interdependencies between American and Australian security services and b) polling shows the American people are also strongly opposed to the war and they support our alliances

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...

Strategy Without Hubris: How China Rose by Managing America’s Reaction Oriana Skylar Mastro, Upstart: How China Became a Great Power (Oxford University Press, 2024) Why didn’t China’s rise trigger containment sooner? For

Rise of China enabled in part by their incorporation of reaction management into their strategic planning
warontherocks.com/strategy-wit...

That would be a really bad outcome for both American and European security. This would go down in the history books as the exemplar of an unforced catastrophic security disaster.

There is that whole just war doctrine which defines the moral grounds and means upon which wars can be justly waged.

Everybody asks -- "What can we do?" Look at Hungary -- that is what you do. Organize. Make alliances. Write. Speak. Network. March. Wave signs. And help raise each others voices. Here is a Starter Pack for just that! Sentd it around. go.bsky.app/RXFLYri

US to intercept ships in international waters that paid Iran a toll, Trump says US President Donald Trump made the comments after the US and Iran failed to reach an agreement after 21 hours in talks in Islamabad.

The president is threatening China with 50% tariffs if they helped Iran. Russia is directly providing intel to help Iran target Americans. What tariffs will be threatened against Russia?
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...

Pro-Orban media and political forces who defined dissent as disloyalty will now find its value in a democracy.

Hungarians vote today in an election that will decide if the country remains European or becomes a vassal of Russia. I’ve written about why this election is a roadmap for what we will likely see in the run up to US midterms, as well as about Hungary’s role in Russian destabilization ops.🧵 1/

www.cnn.com/2026/04/11/p...

China providing military assistance to Iran including intelligence, defence industry materials, and missiles are under consideration

U.S. Intelligence Shows China Taking a More Active Role in Iran War - The New York Times share.google/F3RxMbxzm5zy...

The people are the ultimate guardrail in a democracy. That is why authoritarians seek to divide and undermine the formation of autonomous civil society.

The US condemns arrests of journalists in Russia as an assault on the free press.

Only a fragile regime unable to defend itself needs to fear a free press.

www.rferl.org/a/condemns-r...

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says Europe cannot expand its role in the Strait of Hormuz while dealing with Russia’s war against Ukraine. She notes Gulf states have not supported efforts against Moscow and stresses cooperation cannot be a one-way street. #EU

This is what an ally does

Why not Poland, they are one of the NATO countries outpacing US defense spending by GDP

What are the American strategic interests thwt would be advanced by an Orban victory?

A reminder to Australians as to why submarine capabilities are so important to everyday life in Australia. 98% of international data over the internet comes from these cables www.rusinsw.org.au/Papers/20250...

Just Released Riverside County Warrants Relied on Bogus Evidence of Likely Felony to Seize Ballots (Links to Warrants) #ELB Following up on today’s orders in the Riverside County ballot seizure case, you can find the three just released search warrants linked below. The warrants claim that a felony was likely committed in ...

Just Released Riverside County Warrants Relied on Bogus Evidence of Likely Felony to Seize Ballots (Links to Warrants) electionlawblog.org?p=155338

He worked for Tenet Media. RT (Russia Today) officials were indicted for illegally paying Tenet and the influencers who worked for Tenet including Benny Johnson. And RT tasked Tenet and its influencers as well as directly controlled messaging. If this is serious, Johnson has reason to be worried.