Meanwhile, Back In Michigan...

An awkward moment for the DoJ:

Jury acquits two in Michigan governor kidnap plot; deadlocks on two others

Partial defeat for the Justice Department’s efforts to combat domestic terrorism; defense lawyers said the men were entrapped by the FBI

A federal jury acquitted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and deadlocked on the counts against two others, apparently agreeing to some degree with defense claims that FBI agents entrapped the men in a violent plot shortly before the 2020 election.

The trial in Grand Rapids, Mich., was closely watched as a test of the U.S. government’s ramped-up efforts to combat domestic terrorism, and Friday’s verdict is a partial defeat for the Justice Department. The men’s arrest in October 2020 raised alarms about the possibility of politically motivated violence as the nation was increasingly divided over a bitterly contested presidential race.

It's worth remembering that the DoJ did get guilty pleas from two other alleged conspirators:

The acquittals and hung jury came even though prosecutors called as witnesses two admitted co-conspirators, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks. Garbin and Franks pleaded guilty months ago, and told the jury they had agreed to kidnap Whitmer, a Democrat, from her lakeside home.

Bad legal advice, or stronger evidence? IDK.

Comments

[clarice]

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/11/hooked-on-nixon/
Mark Judge--always worth reading

[Narciso]

you can kind of see this low rent junk, starz is bringing back julia roberts and sean penn, as mr and mrs john mitchell, with penn looking suspiciously like sydney greenstreet,

[Narciso]

arab spring, two electric boogaloo

https://twitter.com/securefreedom/status/1513944672439263245?cxt=HHwWmoCzpZGqzoIqAAAA

curiously I was watching a 1936 take on the charge of the light brigade with errol flynn directed by michael curtiz, who would later helm casablanca,
this was the era when the brits were reviving the old classics of empire, gunga din, kim, four feathers, in this one, it begins in the heart of the indian revolt cawnpore, the villain is an indian maharajah based on nanda sahib, who is said to be the inspiration for nemo, the slaughter is said to drive this small band to sevastopol, because in this telling of the tale,he joins the Russians

[Rocco]

Battle Raging On The Azov Sea In Mariupol (Special Report Under Fire)
Apr 12, 2022

I wonder if this is today before the marines surrendered?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eim2BIliwmA&t=28s

[Narciso]

rapp has kind of being old hat, lately, andreas from ben coes has been bringing up better material,
I mentioned the eponymous scorpion from andrew klavans series, that described this sort of wilderness of mirrors some 14 years ago, no one comes off well, except the timoshenko manque, who gets with the hero, the end point of the story is in chernobyl

[Narciso]

the dark humor in feig ding's commentary is he has been all lockdown, eleventy, yet he sent his kids to austria, because the schools were open here,

[Narciso]

andrew kaplan, correction, sheer numbers don't tell the tale, and just because one citys administration surrenders doesn't mean its a fait accompli

[Narciso]

heh

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/12/cnn-plus-low-viewership-numbers-warner-bros-discovery.html

[Narciso]

but those dangerous selfie taking grand mas

https://t.me/disclosetv/7578

[Narciso]

don't let a crisis...

https://uncoverdc.com/2022/04/12/ctcl-announces-80-million-program-to-run-elections/

[Narciso]

kgan fils seems to have learned nothing from his father, the great don kagan, who wrote on how events can become forever wars,

https://taibbi.substack.com/p/give-war-a-chance?s=r

[Neo]

A congressman [from Hawaii] who ran on a promise of giving constituents full-time representation has been absent from the Capitol [flying for an airline] for most of this year, according to a new report.

[Narciso]

ah of course

https://twitter.com/ShidelerK/status/1514015357266243589?cxt=HHwWisC5pcS87oIqAAAA

[Narciso]

like the punk that stabbed officer shaw, and the roving suv

https://mobile.twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1514029565622075405?cxt=HHwWmoC-5cj39IIqAAAA

[Narciso]

but of course,

https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/2022/04/robert-reich-america-should-be-more-putin-daniel-greenfield/

[Narciso]

practically stroking his cat

https://twitter.com/rising_serpent/status/1514045708604694528?cxt=HHwWgICzsZuj_IIqAAAA

[Narciso]

it all comes together,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxGp7qN_YE4

[Davod]

Ace snowscape

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/4%2012%2022%200nt.jpg

[Davod]

Piglet

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/babypigboop.jpg

[Davod]

Let me help you (9)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513962685141962754

[Davod]

Chicknado (24)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513343579304853508

[Davod]

Well, if it isn't the consequences of my own actions. (6)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513924912083353608

[Davod]

Who’s training who..🐕🐾🧍🏻😅 (8)

[Davod]

Dog pulls best buddy on sled in snow..🐕🐾🐈🌨️🛷 (15)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513600269375791106

[Davod]

Who’s training who..🐕🐾🧍🏻😅 (8)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513849419308875777

[Davod]

Wizards of the mountains...⛰️🏔️𓃵𓃵🤯 (16)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513528546739826695

[Davod]

I’m going go out for awhile…Just take care of him..🐈🐾😍 (22)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513222783987175424

[Davod]

Fox cubs playing with a ball in the garden.🦊🎾🤩 (43)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513690867076198405

[Davod]

That's his favorite spot when travelling.🐕🐾🚗😅 (23)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513721065289052164

[Davod]

HAPPY DANCE (23)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513872060287635459

[Davod]

Owls are basically cats with wings.🦉😅 (11)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513902262447493120

[Davod]

Relaxation at its finest..🌊🐕🐾😍 (17)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513358678543327233

[Davod]

From Instapundit

21st CENTURY HEADLINES: Space balloon company offers first look at luxury cabins. " A new entrant in the space tourism market promises customers views of the Earth's curvature from the comfort of a luxury cabin, lifted to the upper atmosphere with a giant balloon."

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220412-space-balloon-company-offers-first-look-at-luxury-cabins

[Pinandpuller]

But what’s a man, really, amirite guise:

“The fate of the country does not depend on how you vote at the polls—the worst man is as strong as the best at that game; it does not depend on what kind of paper you drop into the ballot-box once a year, but on what kind of man you drop from your [bed] chamber into the streets every morning…”—Henry David Thoreau

[jim nj]

Two assessments of the Ukraine war:

https://militaryland.net/ukraine/invasion-day-48-summary/

"[Ukrainian] Saboteurs blew up a railway bridge near the border in Belgorod Oblast, disrupting a Russian supply route to Ukraine."

After reading about how dependent the Russians are on railheads for supplies I'd have people ranging behind the Russian lines trying to destroy any usable rail links to keep the railheads as distant as possible.

This is something straight out of the American Civil War.

"The convoy of Russian army have been moving towards Izium for the third day, and it’s kinda a déjà vu to the Kyiv one. Russian army continues to strengthen its forces near Izium and prepares the offensive operation in the area."

MAXAR published satellite photos from Friday, a day or two later, showing an 8-mile long convoy headed down to the Izium area. It's still apparently on the move to Izium. And has to stick to the roads because of the spring thaw.

The original thought was that it was re-constituted units coming to launch the next attack in force very soon. Now there is some thought that it may be mostly supply support units re-stocking the existing forces in the Izium area.

It effects the timing of a possible Russian breakout there. If the current force there isn't supplied well and that is why they have lost momentum then which is more important first - more force or more supplies?

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-12

[Barbara]

Emerald Robinson has a different take than Thoreau in her latest article,

The Lasting Shame of Bill Barr
The man who stopped the second Trump Administration is rewriting history

by Emerald Robinson

President Trump’s Attorney General Bill Barr has been trying to rehabilitate his tarnished reputation in the last month with regular guest appearances on Fox News as he hawks his new book. The mendacity on display has been breathtaking. Never have so many lies been told on television for the sake of selling a bad memoir by an unreliable narrator. Fox News is happy to encourage Barr’s rewriting of history now because Fox News wants the history to be rewritten: both of them got caught colluding with Democrats to throw the election to Joe Biden in 2020 — and nobody trusts them anymore. It’s a perfect marriage of convenience for these grifters."

The article continues on her substack:

https://emeralddb3.substack.com/p/the-lasting-shame-of-bill-barr

[MissMarple2]

Barbara,

That is an excellent article by Emerald Robinson! Thanks so much for posting it!

[clarice]

https://uncoverdc.com/2022/04/12/ctcl-announces-80-million-program-to-run-elections/

[Melinda]

Fresh Pozsar: https://plus2.credit-suisse.com/shorturlpdf.html?v=51WR-8SW-V

[Neo]

First Texas bus drops off migrants blocks from US Capitol in Washington, DC
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-migrant-bus-arrives-washington-d-c

[Rocco]

The #USA Army General Roger L. Klutjea was handed over to FSB and taken to #Russia,

In Mariupol I believe

https://nitter.net/5thSu/status/1514048839577407489

[Rocco]

I love Texas!

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1514233946028003330?cxt=HHwWhMCyvYnw0YMqAAAA

[Rocco]

Aw Geeze, sorry Neo

[Rocco]

IN VIDEO: UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS CONFIRM THEY WERE ORDERED TO KILL CIVILIANS IN RUBEZHNOE

Do I believe the word of POW's? Yeah, I do.

https://southfront.org/in-video-ukrainian-soldiers-confirm-they-were-ordered-to-kill-civilians-in-rubezhnoe/

[clarice]

https://justthenews.com/nation/court-filing-says-20-federal-assets-were-embedded-capitol-january-6

[clarice]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10714319/Putin-arrests-man-invented-Putinism-purge-150-spy-chiefs-turns-inner-circle.html

[Neo]

JustTheNews: Court filing states 20 federal 'assets' embedded at the Capitol on January 6
https://justthenews.com/nation/court-filing-says-20-federal-assets-were-embedded-capitol-january-6

[Neo]

Laws that require charities to disclose their finances and activities to the public endanger the lives of activists, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors said at a recent event.

The embattled activist, who is facing renewed criticism following reports BLM Global Network Foundation, while under her control, purchased a $6 million Los Angeles mansion, said she gets triggered whenever she hears the term IRS Form 990, the document charities are required to file to the public every year disclosing their financial activities.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blm-co-founder-charity-transparency-laws-are-triggering

[Neo]

Polish Media Report Disappearance Of 100 T-72 Tanks From Warehouses And Wish Ukraine "Successful Hunt"
https://ukranews.com/en/news/848965-polish-media-report-disappearance-of-100-t-72-tanks-from-warehouses-and-wish-ukraine-successful

[jim nj]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/04/12/fact-check-natos-lt-gen-cloutier-wasnt-captured-ukraine/9500555002/

Fact check: U.S. general refutes rumor that Russian forces captured him in Mariupol

[Rocco]

On April 5, a day after the claims emerged online, Cloutier shared images to LinkedIn of him speaking at an event for NATO’s Land Operations Working Group in Izmir, Turkey.

That's odd because here he's shown in Ukraine on March 7th.

https://twitter.com/_TheRepublic_/status/1511357077557551108/photo/1

Someone's lying unless the Ukrainian commander photographed with him was also in Turkey. That Azov symbol on the wall is the same one on the Azov patch.

http://spe-tactical-surplus-com.3dcartstores.com/A30B-Azov-Special-Operations-Unit-3-patch-Vinyl_p_538.html

I'm going to cool it before I make enemies.

[clarice]

why can't Cloutier be in Ukraine 1 or 2 days after he was in Turkey?

[Rocco]

Well he could, except a link in the 3:06 states...

"These rumors are completely false," Andries said. "Our commander is currently commanding NATO Allied Land Command in Izmir, Turkey, and has not been to Ukraine since the Land Staff Talks we conducted in July of 2021. While NATO nations are sending financial and military aid to Ukraine, no NATO soldiers or leaders are deployed to the country."

And hasn't our MSM reported no Americans have been in Ukraine assisting them?

I just don't trust anything the MSM reports because it doesn't fit their narrative. Why are't they promoting peace instead of war?

[Rocco]

Please excuse the typos, I spilled a coffee on my keyboard and several keys are sticking.

[Davod]

Rocco. That's why I use a laptop, but sit a wireless keyboard on my lap. Three keyboards (which are cheap) later, the laptop is still going well.

[Narciso]

because this war serves their interests,

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/04/13/treasury-secretary-janet-yellen-delivers-remarks-outlining-the-future-of-our-international-order-and-need-to-decarbonize-our-economies/

[Davod]

Maybe it's time for everyone to remember that Putin was in the KGB for a long time, and the USSR had one of the best misinformation campaigns of the Cold War. I don't think Russia stopped using assets after the Cold War ended. While the foreign true believers in Communism might have left the fold, there are others who would still be the subject of blackmail, and others who still hated what the West had become.

[Narciso]

and john kerry and leon panetta and joe biden were the marks for it, they were objectively on the wrong side of the cold war, so was strobe talbott and robert scheer, to cite a few examples,

the lies about trump, went around the world like the shell of a dyson sphere, even though kolomoisky is laying low, the support network for ukraine, runs through monaco, the whole burisma twaddle,

[Narciso]

I don't need reminding Russians can be savage, I know all about Stare Atagy, Altan Yurt, other such places,

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/13/justice-department-plans-to-re-try-two-remaining-whitmer-fednapping-defendants/

apparently the shooter was obsessed with ukraine as well,

[Rocco]

Thanks Davod, my next puter!

I'm sure there's propaganda on both sides but false flag after false flag by Ukraine has me pretty cynical of them.

First there were the Snake Island Hero's who Zelensky said he honor with the "Hero of Ukraine" award. A week later turns out they surrendered and were alive. Trying to reel NATO in.

Then Russia bombed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeast Ukraine. Turns out Ukraine did it baiting NATO again.

The Ghost of Kiev was footage from a video game.

The airstrike on the Mariupol maternity hospital with pregnant witnesses claiming AZOV kicked them out to hide there.

Same thing with the Mariupol theater, and after hearing a witness claim Azov told him he wasn't safe in his house and to go to the #37 school which was bombed later that night. This was yesterday in that youtube I posted. So I believe Azov bombed the theater too.

Then Bucha and the train station, just too many games being played by Ukraine.

And it just doesn't make sense to me that Russia would draw the condemnation of the whole world when they're already fighting them by proxy. But it does make sense to me anyway, that Azov would, trying to involve NATO.

And finally, why is the internet scrubbing anything pro Russia, all those links I've posted are gone now.

So I'm going to lurk for a while and perhaps I'll be proven wrong.

I love you all!

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--That's why I use a laptop, but sit a wireless keyboard on my lap. Three keyboards (which are cheap) later, the laptop is still going well.--

Yeah, but when you spill coffee on your keyboard in that configuration your lap might not be going so well.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I see no reason to believe Ukraine stopped using those very same assets after the Cold War. As Rocco points out it seems like they're making rather more profligate use of them than the Russkies.
And unlike the Russkies they're getting a big fat assist from our own lyin spooks and our worse than worthless fifth columnist communist press.

[MissMarple2]

Rocco,

That is why I am not posting much on the war. I dont even trust the Brits very much.

My dem sister is having Easter lunch. I really would rather skip it, but I don’t want anyone upset. Daughter’s Indian boyfriend won’t stay long as he plays in a cricket league and has a match.

Now I suppose I will have to learn about cricket. 🙄

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--I'm sure there's propaganda on both sides but false flag after false flag by Ukraine has me pretty cynical of them.--

Both sides lie but there have been a few candid remarks from the Russkies on casualties and the difficulty of the campaign.
Has there been a single candid remark from the Ukrainians?
It has been the Ukrainians caught in weak, obvious, insulting lie after lie. They're so bad they are almost certainly teamed up in a consortium of imbecility with our own incompetent "intelligence" services.
Our imbecile in chief declares Putin guilty of genocide at the same time the UN Human Rights goons say 1,800 civilians have been killed in a month and half. The thugs of Chicago commit genocide every year by that metric.
Anyone who believes a single word the Ukrainians or our own Nomenklatura spout is not only denying the incessant and accumulating lies of the last month and a half but the last several years/decades that our commissars, apparatchiks and mouthpieces have shown less and less hesitancy to lie non stop to control this country and anyone unwary enough to listen to them.
If you think they have suddenly stopped lying when this issue arose, unlike every other one under the sun, and unlike every other issue under the sun they aren't using it to harm our interests and cement their control over us I don't know what to say. Apparently they will actually have to build a physical gulag and toss us, their true enemies, in it before you'll recognize their intentions at all times and on every issue, foreign and domestic.

[MissMarple2]

https://thehill.com/news/3266419-home-depot-founder-biden-worse-than-jimmy-carter/

[Davod]

.Ignatz.

"Yeah, but when you spill coffee on your keyboard in that configuration your lap might not be going so well."

True. But being in a wheelchair, I have spilt so much boiling stuff on my lap over the years that I have a large jar of Silver sul...(something) to smear on the burns.

[Davod]

Ignatz. It is clear that the Russians are getting serious now they have put the Grozny II general in charge. Putin will be able to mold the resultant dessert and ossuary as a Russian vassal state.

[Davod]

Ignatz. Did I mention that he is one of the Generals who advocates the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

[Davod]

You want hot sauce:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/apparel/rcxgs/tile._CB483369110_.gif

[Davod]

This instead. You can tell it's veteran owned.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/TheGeneralsHotSauce/page/909B5752-DFC9-4B9C-B1F7-A8F03B120709?ref_=ast_bln

[jim nj]

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/more-than-1000-ukrainian-marines-surrender-in-mariupol-russia-prepares-for-new-offensive-20220414-p5addj.html

Russian ship in Black Sea fleet badly damaged by blast

The most important ship in Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, was badly damaged after ammunition on board blew up, Interfax news agency quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying.

Interfax said the crew had all been evacuated and the cause of the fire was being investigated.

A Ukrainian official earlier said the ship had been hit by two missiles but did not give any evidence for the claim.

[Davod]

Relaxing by Robert Doisneau

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/bhRobertDoisneau.jpg

[clarice]

ROFL!https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/apr/13/texas-strikes-deal-mexican-state-police-border/
Abbott will stop holding up truck traffic from Mexico if Mexico polices the border. Checkmate.

[Davod]

Ace - Freezing rain coated the streets and sidewalk with an inch of slippery ice. People can literally not even stand. It's like a nightmare.

At what point do you give up trying to stand and simply try to "swim" across the ice on your belly? (45)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1514270658145964032

[Davod]

Sweetness (8)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1512841502334275584

[Davod]

Animals also have a sense of humor (15)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1512841418787766278

[Davod]

She is like - What! ❤️🤣🤣 (11)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513891620604813320

[Davod]

The best evasive maneuver ever! ❤️🤣🤣 (11)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513955857364656136

[Davod]

Dinosaur Friend (13)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513568864755490818

[Davod]

A rock entering Earth’s atmosphere from space at 15km a second, near the Arctic Ocean, Longyearbyen, Norway 🇳🇴 (14)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513943003735498756

[Davod]

There's so much to be seen out here in the world. (34)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1509945579429892102

[Davod]

Spider-Man was based on a true story 🕷 (15)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1512222447042506754

[Davod]

Skills (15)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513566114919366666

[Davod]

The fastest way to acquire knowledge 😂😂 (15)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1513713526543683585

[Davod]

Squirrel makes a home outside a window and then moves the family in over the cold months.. (1:41)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1514229520085176330

[Davod]

(Misanthropic Acres)

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/rise-shine-20220105-128.jpg

[matt - deplore me if you must]

Ukraine is lying so much that Finland and Sweden want to join NATO. I'm not buying it.

Putin is KGB through and through and internally has run a massive propaganda campaign that has the Russian people believing everything and every wild ass story he has promoted while his buddy Zhirinovsky was stoking the fires of ethnic hatred. SOP for Russia these days.

I had forgotten the Ukrainian war of independence in 1919 which the Soviets won. This was followed by the Russo-Polish War, where Pilsudski defeated the Russians in the Battle of Warsaw.

This was then followed by the Holodomor in the 30's. No wonder the Ukrainians fight so hard.

There are widespread, well documented Russian atrocities. In looking up Rubizhne, which is in Luhansk and is 85% Ukrainian. Why would Ukrainians murder other Ukrainians with the exception of Russians opposed to the Kiev government? Even then it would seem that there are far fewer Ukrainian atrocities than Russian. 15-20,000 civilian dead in Mariupol underlines the issue.

Ukraine is now receiving reinforcements from all over. More anti-tank weapons, which have been used very successfully. More anti-ship missiles, which may have taken out a major Russian naval asset. More heavy artillery. The last is a bit of a puzzle. Soviet era artillery focused on 122mm tubes and I doubt that US or European tubes correlate. Re-training would be necessary.

Russian weaponry was cheap and simple and many militaries around the world have it stockpiled. It looks like the Poles and Czechs and Slovaks and Romanians and Bulgarians may be assisting as well. All of that old SovBloc weaponry is coming in useful.

The Ukrainians have been trained by the Western militaries for at least 6-8 years and are now much more flexible and adaptable. The Russians need Colonels and Generals directly engaged because their NCO's and junior officers can't make a move without them. Thus the high casualties in the upper ranks.

It was said that the greater part of the Russian army was deployed to Ukraine. Now they are stop losing retired military from what I understand and their conscripts are poorly trained and clueless.

Not a good place setting for another massive assault. Huge losses of materiel. Railways and bridges blown up. Sounds like the French Maquis and SOE/OSS.

The question is whether Putin will escalate to de-escalate.

[Davod]

Some comments about the squirrel

"@Thund3rB0lt
It would have taken every ounce of my strength not to open the window just wide enough to slip them a few nuts.
Eric Wagner
@ProfessorE59
·
11h
And they would scratch at your window every 5 minutes for as long as they lived. Don't do it!"

[Davod]

More squirrels (24)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1514238314127130624

[jim nj]

More on the Russian ship Moskva

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/russias-black-sea-flagship-has-exploded-off-ukraine

I try to be very careful about getting caught up in the misinformation out there and passing it on without some kind of confirmation, but I'm seeing reports that sound credible indicating that the ship has sunk.

[jim nj]

Two assessments of the Ukraine war:

https://militaryland.net/ukraine/invasion-day-49-summary/

"The breakthrough of Ukrainian 36th Marines Brigade from Azovmash towards Azovstal was confirmed today, as the commanders of Azov and 36th Marines Brigade published a joint video statement. However, at least a dozen of servicemen didn’t make it and have been captured. The brigade also lost at least one T-80BV during the operation. Russian forces have later captured the Azovmash plant."

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-13

"Russian forces captured the Ilyich metal plant in northern Mariupol on April 13, though some elements of defending Ukrainian forces escaped to link up with Ukrainian forces in Azovstal despite Russian claims of a mass surrender. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that 1026 servicemen of Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade surrendered at the Ilyich metal plant (in northern Mariupol) on April 13 and Russian troops released a video of around 30 Ukrainian troops they claim were captured during an attempt to breakout from Ilyich to the north. Several independent Ukrainian outlets and government officials contrarily reported that the 36th Marine Brigade broke out of llyich to link up with Ukrainian forces at the Azovstal plant. The commanders of the 36th Brigade and the Azov Regiment (the primary Ukrainian defenders in Azovstal) additionally released a joint video on April 13."

The situation in Mariupol is something of an enigma. The ISW map shows three separate areas under Ukraine control. The Militaryland map shows one smaller contiguous area of control.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Ignatz. Did I mention that he is one of the Generals who advocates the use of tactical nuclear weapons.--

When many on our own side are telling us the risk of nuclear war isn't that big a deal not sure we have much to say.
It's the exact same lumbering, blundering, blase idiocy that got this war started to begin with.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Ukraine is lying so much that Finland and Sweden want to join NATO.--

Well of course they want to join NATO. Who doesn't want Uncle Sam to promise to fight for them if some neighborhood dustup starts?
Obviously it is in the interest of every country to join NATO just as it's in every citizen of a shithole's interest to join the United States.
How about we find just a few asshoes in DC who for once try to figure out what is in OUR interests FIRST, not everyone elses?

--15-20,000 civilian dead in Mariupol underlines the issue.--

Is there a limit to the number of bogus claims like this that have to be discredited before they are no longer cited?

[jim nj]

"--15-20,000 civilian dead in Mariupol underlines the issue.--

Is there a limit to the number of bogus claims like this that have to be discredited before they are no longer cited?"

I'm not sure that's a bogus claim. It may be true, but it lacks context. Deliberately killed, or inadvertently killed?

And it's an honest estimate, or propaganda, not a fact. The true count could be lower or higher.

War is hell, shit happens, it's hard to assign fault when one side may be hiding behind civilians and the other side may think that everyone is a combatant.

[MissMarple2]

Early morning thought:

If Russia has depleted its forces and equipment while China is propping them up with gas purchases, what is to stop China from heading north at an opportune time and taking a good chunk of Russia?

[henry]

Elon filed to take Twitter private.

[clarice]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10718427/Elon-Musk-tries-buy-Twitter-41billion-Tesla-CEO-offers-54-20-share.html

[clarice]

https://the-pipeline.org/green-energy-lets-do-the-math/ Doesn't add up

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--I'm not sure that's a bogus claim. It may be true, but it lacks context. Deliberately killed, or inadvertently killed?

And it's an honest estimate, or propaganda, not a fact. The true count could be lower or higher.--

The context is, as Rocco correctly points out, claim after claim after claim like this proving to be completely false.
So I will concede it is theoretically possible.
But in the real world it is vastly more likely a complete and intentional lie to sway [or 'nudge' using that particularly pernicious prog euphemism for propaganda] public opinion away from the truth and toward more war mongering.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Doesn't add up--

Prog math;
Smash old value + build new monstrosity = progs in power.
Any evil or idiocy can be squeezed into their equation and add up just fine.