Thanks as always Simon for your hard work detailing the destruction of our Democracy and the hopeful signs if we stay united to fight Trump, Repubs and MAGAs. Your job and our lives are made even more insanely stressful by the words and actions of our very (un)stable genius.
. "Ukraine is slowing Russia and clawing back ground in key areas"
[George] Barros attributed Ukraine's gains to its "maturing in their operational planning." He said Ukraine was now "demonstrating a more sophisticated and a deeper capability for operational planning and for preparing the battlefield to set the condition for exploits and then executing those exploits."
Ukraine notably made its Delta system – an online battlespace management system that lets Ukraine view and share real-time battlefield data and make decisions – mandatory for all combat units.
That has helped a "maturation of command" that allows Ukraine to think beyond defeating the Russian forces immediately in front of it and also think "about the deeper depths of the battlefield and how do we degrade that," Barros said.
"So really, this maturation of the command is working." He said the Delta system is having effects. "These things take time, but it's happening. And these reforms are what are slowly but surely enabling some of these Ukrainian successes that we're seeing reported out on the day-to-day now."
Barros said that Ukraine has also been intensifying its intermediate-range strikes to hit Russia's positions and logistics that support its front-line forces. Doing that from late last year has been "degrading the Russian forces in the south," he said.
He said the progress Ukraine made across February and March had been months in the making, with planning starting in late 2025.
Volodomyr Zelenskyy recently visited a number of oil-producing countries in the Middle East, offering them Ukraine’s proven drone defense systems. Much to the embarrassment and irritation of Trump! This cost comparison reveals why:
– Iranian Shaheed drone: $50,000
– US Patriot missile: $2-3 million
– Ukrainian anti-Shaheed drone: $5,000
(Note: Don Jr and several of his corrupt associates are heavily invested in an American drone company. Which explains why Trump doesn’t want Ukraine offering a battlefield-proven and much-cheaper alternative to countries in dire need of such defense systems.)
Thanks for sharing this article and good news. It's almost like Zelensky has some cards after all. It underscores for me how much we are missing out to the extent we are not actively coordinating with and learning from Ukraine's hard-earned, battle-tested knowledge, like the Delta system the article describes.
"Russia has accumulated significant knowledge, particularly on the use of Iranian Shahed drones over the years, and can now transfer this experience to Iran, said Maksym Klymenko, CEO of Amazing Drones LLC, a Ukrainian producer of interceptors.
This concerns, in particular, improving the drones’ resistance to electronic warfare systems. From the initial models with four-channel navigation systems used by Russia, they have evolved into sixteen-channel versions, which are much harder to neutralize."
I also flashed on this 2025 article by journalist Mark Sumner, who has been following the Ukraine War since it started. It's about Ukraine's amazing 2025 "Operation Spiderweb" where they used smuggled drones to attack Russian airbases (not long after that horrible oval office meeting). Sumner writes, credibly:
"[H]ere's what everyone else should be taking away from all this: The idea of "conventional warfare" that has dominated the world's militaries since the end of World War II is dead. The combined arms tactics that much of the world has been planning and training for decades are now about as valuable as being well-versed in the use of the phalanx or how to position pikemen. The same thing applies to naval ships, including aircraft carriers. That era of warfare is over, and if some political and military leaders are frustrated about how much of the trillion-dollar equipment designed for those tactics never got used in the field, well, too bad. They should count themselves lucky."
The next Secretary of Defense (Adam Smith? Adam Kinzinger?) will have a lot of catching up to do.
Many thanks for this info and the link! Mark Sumner wrote many fine articles on Ukraine. Must admit I stopped visiting the DailyKos when he and many other great writers disappeared.
Saw Anderson Clayton yesterday at a fundraiser in Charlotte for the NC statewide judicial candidates. Erie Holder spoke. Excited that if we do it right, we can take back the NC Supreme Court in 2028!
I’m not from North Carolina and I don’t live there now, but that’s been one of my quiet “nerd arcs“ that I’ve been following for a couple of years now ever since I heard her first discuss her plan to try to reclaim it by 2028. That would really be a Lynch pin for free in the people of North Carolina from the tyranny republicans have gerrymandered them into. That will be among the most satisfying things for me to see, and I believe they will accomplish it. 😎👍
Here is what is so absurd. We defended one of our seats in 2024 (won by 700 votes out of 5 million!). Then the GOP tried to steal the election by negating 68,000 votes. We had to spend $3 million in court fights--- and won in federal court when a Trump-appointed Judge agreed with us!
Thanks for the update on the Strait of Hormuz. Yesterday, it was pretty clear Trump was bullshitting, but that makes the actual state of affairs just that much more unclear. I listened to Malcolm Nance in the morning yesterday and he said others have said (and it is clear this happens) that he tries in negotiations to lock the other side in by just claiming they agreed to things they hadn't. (Unfortunately Nance also got a few things related to nuclear physics and applications wrong. I also think Trump calls it "nuclear dust" because he has to maintain the fiction that somehow it was all obliterated into "dust". But it just makes him look like an idiot who can't keep anything straight.)
I just listened to Krugman interview Prof. Kim Lane Scheppele from Princeton on Hungary, and I improved my knowledge about what happened there by an order of magnitude. One thing that made it easier for Orban to turn Hungary into a competitive autocracy was that with a 2/3 majority you can change the Constitution. Magyar and Tisza should have enough to reverse much of what Orban did. It is much harder to amend the US Constitution, which is saving us from Trump right now.
I've also started listening to the book "Without Precedent" by Lisa Graves, who was also interviewed by Krugman a couple of weeks ago I think. This book details how the Roberts court is harming our democracy. So we have a Constitution but we have bad-faith actors in the Federalist Society who have captured our judicial system. I'm only through the first two chapters but it is worth listening to.
Yeah, sorry John and Patrick. It was the Litman interview I was thinking about--not one with Lisa Graves. Similar subject matter and thesis--how the Roberts' court and its right-wing agenda are undermining democracy and the rule of law.
I think I vaguely remember Litman interviewing Lisa Graves too. But I didn't know who she was at the time and I didn't make much of a note of it. Litman is great. What got my attention this time was the book which I think may have just come out. At any rate I found it on Spotify.
In yesterday's comments someone recommended a Heather Cox Richardson video but couldn't find the link. I don't know if this is the one, but this one is extremely relevant to our work, our progress and to the situation that led us to the dissatisfaction that led to Trumpism- the control of our democracy by corporate interests which lead to wealth disparity and concentration, and the frustration of the average citizen that the American dream is out of reach. When we talk about "affordability" I think this involves more than just prices. It is the feeling that the most basic needs in our lives are out of our control, that we have no say in how we live.
To paraphrase the Joni Mitchell song Big Yellow Taxi -"tear down Main St and put up a data center"
The old "work hard" trope is a bunch of bs. There are plenty of people working two jobs just to barely keep their noses above water. The big guys get bailed out every time there is a crisis, usually caused by them and the politicians they have supported, and the small business and the family farms get toasted (just another opportunity for their land and assets to get snapped up by private equity for fire sale prices.)
It has to end!
Tax rates are not enough of an answer to this problem. There have to be laws about ownership - that is, the concept of more than your fair share, too big to exist, and so on need to enter the picture. We talk about the four freedoms. Let's talk about freedom from want. One solution is for example SNAP, but that's not enough. Why are there so many people who can't afford groceries -- and I mean people who are employed!!!!
I'm sick of the GOP bs about "work requirements" For fuckssake, they don't want to tell you how many people who work at Walmart are on SNAP. This isn't a "free market." For most of us its an extortion market and that is why we want candidates who refuse corporate donations and who are ready to admit that what Reaganism really was is a declaration of class war against the Four Freedoms.
So what can the Democrats, when in power, actually do about this through the processes of democracy? HRC looks back to the last gilded age for one answer: a re-invigoration of anti-trust laws
Perhaps another piece: Campaign Finance Reform. Montana is leading the nation with the Transparent Election Initiative (aka The Montana Plan) by which the State would revoke powers of corporations to spend $$ on political campaigns and ballot initiatives. This initiative (I-194) will be on the November 2026 ballot IF we get enough signatures (5% of voters in 1/3 of all legislative districts). The Montana Plan polls well at 70 to 80% and across party lines. It WILL pass if we get it on the ballot. We need to collect ~50,000 signatures by mid June to get this done. https://transparentelection.org
Simon, firstly, thank you for this newsletter and secondly, to echo Arctic Stone’s sentiment, Ukraine is WINNING!!! We’re all at a precipice no doubt and can feel the tide shifting in our favor significantly in spite of the chaos at hand.
That said, and as per the link above, this is a brief clip of a recent interview with our great democracy warrior Governor Newsom when he went on Bill Maher’s show. I have a love/hate relationship with Maher and the clip started by quoting the sentiment of Senator Fetterman (who I also am having issues with frankly).
However, what Newsom says here about our party as a whole and how we navigate forward, I feel is rather spot on. While healthy on its face, the fractures we see existing between the progressive wing of the party to the left of center wing of the party to the center wing of the party is all very real and will obv need to be confronted in due time (even though the overarching pro democracy goals are keeping each wing connected thank God).
Maybe not today, but at some point when it best fits, I’d love to hear your take on Newsom’ comments and how we use his assertion to our advantage as we progress towards the midterms and more so, towards the 2028 Presidential election. Newsom is trying to build on something that President Obama, Harris, Pete B., Senator Mark Kelly, and Governor Shapiro all articulate and have had success with, laying out a roadmap to future wins…least in my view.
if you read the commentary by the left wing of the party, as i often see at places like dkos, you quickly learn that newsom is a frequent target of their ire. frankly, if it isn't bernie sanders or one of his endorsed candidates, they are not interested. otoh, in their view, momdani is the most brilliant, articulate mayor in the history of nyc, and if every dem would be like him, it would usher in a golden age of progressivism. now, i happen to think the mayor of nyc is a very talented politician and seems to be good at what he does; that said, he did not overwhelm with his election victory, which should have been a blowout for a democrat; i mean, he was running against two geezers, one a sex pest and the other a radio clown in a red beret who founded a fake paramilitary organization that staged vigilante acts. i mention this only because some on the far left have this notion that dems lose because our candidates aren't singing the international....they view spanberger and sherill, who blew the doors off with their wins, as too centrist, for example. so, there is no real pleasing that crowd, in my experience. if it is not gaza, it will be something else; someone wrote, where are all the campus protests against the war in iran? maybe we just aren't hearing about them?
I agree with much of this sentiment. However, we don’t want to risk writing too many off either (unless they’re extremist). Personally, I view Hasan Piker as an extremist and feel he doesn’t nor should he represent the majority of the party. While the progressive wing poses issues for us to confront, the key to winning elections does seem to be the left of center (Obama, Harris, Newsom, Kelly, Pete B, Shapiro, Spanberger, Sherrill) all of whom ARE progressive in their own way. There’s progressive as it relates to actual progress and then there’s ‘progressive.’ The self proclaimed social justice warrior but only when it matters to them. The right has these same extreme factions although they’re inherently far more dangerous. We want to do everything possible to ensure we don’t become ‘the problem’ MAGA has become. AOC falls somewhere in the middle cuz she is progressive but not ‘extremist.’ She seasons herself year to year and I think reads the tea leaves better than given credit for. That said, I prefer to see her in the senate first to gain more experience and more tangible traction over ‘popularity traction.’ Hopefully, the party will be sharp enough to embrace Harris back into the fold so that should she run again and perhaps not even achieve the nomination, we don’t write off her appeal when in fact, she could plausibly ascend to AG which would fit into the crux of her strength. Arguably, it’s what she should have been under Biden cuz God knows with her having ran the DOJ rather than Garland…we wouldn’t be HERE!!! Please Gov Newsom or Senator Kelly! Should either of you win, make her AG 🙏🙏🙏.
well, kelly is short and bald....newsom has great hair. i wish that shit didn't matter, but it does. the left also has issues with kelly. as for aoc, i never did buy that she was some flaming leftist; she seems like an fdr democrat to me. but the narrative works for the right wing; she's depicted as a wild eyed radical feminist, a brown one at that....i think she has actually done a good job of hanging back and learning the ropes. now, i'm a left of center guy, but i want to win. getting obama in for 8 years but surrendering the things we wanted because the right wing astro-turfed a tea party movement and made sure it was plastered all over the media and they cut off his ability to get more done, is very frustrating; then we see biden getting things done and getting no credit for it; paul krugman even said so recently! i was a young man for reagan's terms, but seeing the chart showing biden's turnaround of the economy and inflation almost mirroring exactly reagan's in 84...with reagan going on to blow the doors off,while polling showed biden was going to get creamed if he stayed in the race, has me scratching my effin head. we had a good president who accomplished a lot but had no media savvy, and now we are suffering because his last second replacement just could not overcome racism, sexism, and not being perfect. betcha she'd win today.....but the knives are out for her already, from all the usual places, in our own house...
I feel Harris is still a highly underestimated talent. Don’t discount her just yet…especially as AG. You’re right in that superficial optics still play its role. However, given the burning desire for a fighter, temperance, reclaiming of our democracy, I also wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Kelly. He reminds me of a Dem version of McCain and may be just what we need (for one term, then opening the door to push the boundaries with say, a 3 x a charm move with a woman in 2032). Truth is when all said and done, we don’t know what we don’t know. My instinct tells me 2028 will elect a more moderate Dem and if in right on that, then I sense all bets are off for 2032 (in a good way). I do believe in my gut we will elect a first Female Democratic President in our lifetimes and in our not too distant future at that. Could still be Harris but I sense it being the likes of her, Whitmer, Spanberger, Sherrill, or AOC (but 2032/36 when she seasons herself further especially given she has the charisma). Pete B will land there somewhere one day soon, either as Secretary of State or VP, if not future Pres. too prominent a figure himself not to ascend further.
Wouldn’t argue with either of those choices either. Then have Harris as President and Pete as VP…now we’re talking magic 😂. Hey, never say never 🤷🏻♂️😉🙏
Meant to elaborate further and say the superficial may not play s big a role as anticipated starting soon (hopefully). The desire for change and moxie is finding all sorts of interesting ‘looks’ these days to sink its teeth in amongst the electorate. Yes, Newsom ‘looks’ like a President and may very well become the next President, which I wouldn’t object to. Harris looked like a President! Mind you, and perhaps another convo for another day, I hear you on both the sexism and racism but I actually believe she did win. Between Musk and other elements, I personally don’t trust the integrity of this last election but again, I don’t wanna stir much up on that front she atm, it doesn’t matter given the mess we’re in now. Regardless, the party would be foolish to cast Harris aside as a major player in one way or another. Furthermore, I also think we’re entering a new phase in our modern political landscape too. So the ‘looks’ element may descale some sooner than we think.
good discussion. but my man on the street surveys among dems find a lot of anger toward harris, with dems saying they will not support her if she runs. this needs to be paid attention to. she did not get a fair shot, neither did biden,and we cannot expect one.
I personally agree with you that she did NOT get a fair shot. I also think it goes far too unnoticed the fact that she…yes, the female candidate of color…built/led a $1 billion grassroots movement/campaign and overflowed arenas when people were literally walking away from his 🤔. So whatever ‘anger’ is harbored towards her by voters in my mind, is foolish…especially when having been up against the likes of an aspiring dictator! I also don’t wanna hear one more person tell me she lost cuz of Gaza. That’s ridiculous! If the election was indeed fair, then SHE didn’t lose. We lost it for her. Harsh statement but true. Now we’re in our most ripe position yet which I’m proud to be apart of but excluding her from the fight would be detrimental of the party. She SHOULD be AG if anything and mark my words. Should that come to fruition, she’ll more than make America proud 🫡.
That (!) is what I want to hear from Democratic leaders.
sticking to this narrative, I just read this clip in the WSJ gifted today from Ann in the chat (Thanks again, Ann) :
"Despite positive trend lines for Democrats, it won’t be an easy ride to victory. Generational and policy divisions are straining the party, which could result in potentially less competitive general-election candidates emerging from coming primaries."
Do we become less competitive by striving for agents of change to meet the moment, or by sticking to norms of behavior that may feel less threatening to the moderate faction and has democrats still polling as too weak to deliver the goods despite election performance?
My answer is neither.
I recently heard someone say the new Democratic Party goes from A-Z... Abigail to Zorhan, and all those in between, who believe in a big tent with common values... which for me boils down to this: Pro-Democracy and Freedom from the oppression led by billionaire oligarchs, corporate and virulent special interest lobbies ( yes you AIPAC, NRA, Big Pharma, Tech Bros, etc) and voter suppression tactics. We have to separate the wheat from the chaff in these primaries and go make that better world Simon has been focusing on lately, by choosing electeds who "get it."
Can we all get on that boat and stop bashing left or moderate strains under the pro-democracy tent we all share?
Cracks become bigger cracks. Even the WSJ is reporting it. The GOP seems to be basing whatever remaining shreds of hope it has in the midterms on a Trump course correction. Good luck with that. Thanks for posting, Ann
Joanna Coles’ (Daily Beast) latest interview with psychologist Dr. John Gartner provides chilling insight into Trump’s disordered and dangerous behavior
Where can I find these interviews? I understand Becerra is rising in the polls. I am voting for whomever is in the lead but geez, I wish most of them would drop out already.
Google Becerra for links to coverage. On YouTube within the past few days, there’s an interview on “Under the Desk News,” another, by “Silent Middle Child.” Becerra, rising in polls, qualified for participation in the upcoming “debate” in Los Angeles.
Thank you. I am glad Becerra qualified for the debate. I think people are taking a second look at him. He was so low in the polls, it's quite surprising he rose so quickly after Swalwell dropped out. I still think others need to drop out and hopefully they will soon. Ballots go out in 2 weeks.
"Our country is on an unsustainable path, and must change course."
Absolutely, but how? Since Trump's Easter Tweet followed 2 days later by his civilization obliteration tweet, it feels we have escalated into a new level of chaos.
I believe we must, and will, keep winning and overperforming in special elections and the midterms provided we keep working, but the new Congress won't be sworn in until more than 8 months from now.
Simon points to the cracks in the GOP congress, and we must do everything we can to pressure and widen those cracks until a handful break from the mad king to get Trump off the stage.
Right now the House will be 217-214 once Mejia is sworn in to take Mikie Sherrill's former seat. If Massie were to shift to independent and 2 House Members just gave up and resigned immediately, the gavel would shift to Hakeem Jeffries. I know last week I quoted the aphorism "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, everyday would be Christmas." However, It's close.. it's plausible. And we must continue to resist, persist and apply pressure to the GOP.
My Rep is Jimmy Panetta, son of Leon. He was first elected in 2016, so he had an interesting freshman year starting off at the same time as Trump. He joined a group called the problem solvers caucus which is a bipartisan group that meets regularly to find common ground on legislation, mostly budget items, and they have worked deals on things like agriculture, internet law, etc. Since that Easter week escalation from Trump, I have been calling Jimmy's office and pleading with his staff to FIND SOME REPUBLICANS(!!!) to help usher Trump of the world stage. Vance is bad, and ridiculous and embarassing, but he is a step away from crazytown, which is primary. We're not there yet as they still haven't passed a War Powers Act, but every day Trump is more unpopular, the midterms are a day closer and the pressure on the GOP to break ranks will continue to grow.
We have to keep pushing. Hopiates in red places have more leverage than I do to push their MoCs. I know it must be tough to speak to the deaf-eared electeds, but persist, and be creative and know they are under enormous pressure. I loved the quote a couple weeks ago from Marcia in Iowa to her red MoCs; "Trump is insane, what's your excuse?"
Keep pushing, keep praying, keep persisting and resisting. Big cracks become a broken regime.
Maybe if we can convince Trump that pulling out of Iran and paying them reparations is the same thing as strategic bankruptcy, he’ll go along with it and let the world start recovering….. what a fuck up 🤬
The problem might be solved if we just get FIFA to give him another trophy. This one for 'winning' the war with Iran. A replica of a gold fighter jet might do the trick.
Thank you as always for huge effort you maintain in keeping us informed.
The thing I cannot understand is why the Republicans--and a handful of Democrats--in Congress are allowing this grotesque circus to continue. They could stop it today, but they won't. Are they all that spineless? Are they all in the files? Are they all willing to let their constituents die to make a buck? Other countries are holding their monsters accountable, but we're paralyzed.
Do you see any signs that Congress is EVER going to defy the God-Emperor? I've marched in every rally, I donate, I make calls, I write letters, and I sense an ever-increasing tide of defiance rising in the US, but those blockheads just sit there.
I couldn't access it - still behind a paywall for me
Okay, thank you. I’ll try again.
Me too, they offer free 7 days, but won't show the article unless you sign up.
I’m sorry. Don’t know what happened. I just tried again, this time met the paywall. I’ll remove my post. Sorry about the inconvenience.
Thanks Hical, it was an honest effort.
I’m sorry. I met a paywall this time. Have no idea how I got in the first time. I will remove my post.
https://davidsalzillo.substack.com/p/let-me-get-this-strait
Thanks as always Simon for your hard work detailing the destruction of our Democracy and the hopeful signs if we stay united to fight Trump, Repubs and MAGAs. Your job and our lives are made even more insanely stressful by the words and actions of our very (un)stable genius.
UKRAINE – Good news!
. "Ukraine is slowing Russia and clawing back ground in key areas"
[George] Barros attributed Ukraine's gains to its "maturing in their operational planning." He said Ukraine was now "demonstrating a more sophisticated and a deeper capability for operational planning and for preparing the battlefield to set the condition for exploits and then executing those exploits."
Ukraine notably made its Delta system – an online battlespace management system that lets Ukraine view and share real-time battlefield data and make decisions – mandatory for all combat units.
That has helped a "maturation of command" that allows Ukraine to think beyond defeating the Russian forces immediately in front of it and also think "about the deeper depths of the battlefield and how do we degrade that," Barros said.
"So really, this maturation of the command is working." He said the Delta system is having effects. "These things take time, but it's happening. And these reforms are what are slowly but surely enabling some of these Ukrainian successes that we're seeing reported out on the day-to-day now."
Barros said that Ukraine has also been intensifying its intermediate-range strikes to hit Russia's positions and logistics that support its front-line forces. Doing that from late last year has been "degrading the Russian forces in the south," he said.
He said the progress Ukraine made across February and March had been months in the making, with planning starting in late 2025.
https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-is-slowing-russia-down-and-making-gains-warfare-experts-2026-4
Russia’s military was once considered the second best in the world. It has now become apparent that Russia’s military is the second best in Ukraine!
Volodomyr Zelenskyy recently visited a number of oil-producing countries in the Middle East, offering them Ukraine’s proven drone defense systems. Much to the embarrassment and irritation of Trump! This cost comparison reveals why:
– Iranian Shaheed drone: $50,000
– US Patriot missile: $2-3 million
– Ukrainian anti-Shaheed drone: $5,000
(Note: Don Jr and several of his corrupt associates are heavily invested in an American drone company. Which explains why Trump doesn’t want Ukraine offering a battlefield-proven and much-cheaper alternative to countries in dire need of such defense systems.)
Thanks for sharing this article and good news. It's almost like Zelensky has some cards after all. It underscores for me how much we are missing out to the extent we are not actively coordinating with and learning from Ukraine's hard-earned, battle-tested knowledge, like the Delta system the article describes.
I've been following the Substack page "Iran War Dispatches" run by Tim Mak, and here's their latest article (hope it's not paywalled). https://irandispatches.substack.com/p/how-russia-helps-iran-with-its-ukraine?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web. The upshot is that Russia is actively coordinating with Iran and sharing not just intelligence, but what it has learned on the battlefield.
"Russia has accumulated significant knowledge, particularly on the use of Iranian Shahed drones over the years, and can now transfer this experience to Iran, said Maksym Klymenko, CEO of Amazing Drones LLC, a Ukrainian producer of interceptors.
This concerns, in particular, improving the drones’ resistance to electronic warfare systems. From the initial models with four-channel navigation systems used by Russia, they have evolved into sixteen-channel versions, which are much harder to neutralize."
I also flashed on this 2025 article by journalist Mark Sumner, who has been following the Ukraine War since it started. It's about Ukraine's amazing 2025 "Operation Spiderweb" where they used smuggled drones to attack Russian airbases (not long after that horrible oval office meeting). Sumner writes, credibly:
"[H]ere's what everyone else should be taking away from all this: The idea of "conventional warfare" that has dominated the world's militaries since the end of World War II is dead. The combined arms tactics that much of the world has been planning and training for decades are now about as valuable as being well-versed in the use of the phalanx or how to position pikemen. The same thing applies to naval ships, including aircraft carriers. That era of warfare is over, and if some political and military leaders are frustrated about how much of the trillion-dollar equipment designed for those tactics never got used in the field, well, too bad. They should count themselves lucky."
The next Secretary of Defense (Adam Smith? Adam Kinzinger?) will have a lot of catching up to do.
Many thanks for this info and the link! Mark Sumner wrote many fine articles on Ukraine. Must admit I stopped visiting the DailyKos when he and many other great writers disappeared.
Phillips Payson Obrien on substack has been an amazing source of Ukraine news. His recent books have also been excellent. ArcticStones, thanks.
Noted, thanks. I do come across Phillips O'Brien sometimes.
Saw Anderson Clayton yesterday at a fundraiser in Charlotte for the NC statewide judicial candidates. Erie Holder spoke. Excited that if we do it right, we can take back the NC Supreme Court in 2028!
I’m not from North Carolina and I don’t live there now, but that’s been one of my quiet “nerd arcs“ that I’ve been following for a couple of years now ever since I heard her first discuss her plan to try to reclaim it by 2028. That would really be a Lynch pin for free in the people of North Carolina from the tyranny republicans have gerrymandered them into. That will be among the most satisfying things for me to see, and I believe they will accomplish it. 😎👍
Followng the good example of Wisconsin!
Here is what is so absurd. We defended one of our seats in 2024 (won by 700 votes out of 5 million!). Then the GOP tried to steal the election by negating 68,000 votes. We had to spend $3 million in court fights--- and won in federal court when a Trump-appointed Judge agreed with us!
The caption should read "Trump finally unveils his health plan."
Concepts…..
Thank you for sharing. That is excellent news for Ukraine. Let's hope their Delta system stays strong!
Thanks for the update on the Strait of Hormuz. Yesterday, it was pretty clear Trump was bullshitting, but that makes the actual state of affairs just that much more unclear. I listened to Malcolm Nance in the morning yesterday and he said others have said (and it is clear this happens) that he tries in negotiations to lock the other side in by just claiming they agreed to things they hadn't. (Unfortunately Nance also got a few things related to nuclear physics and applications wrong. I also think Trump calls it "nuclear dust" because he has to maintain the fiction that somehow it was all obliterated into "dust". But it just makes him look like an idiot who can't keep anything straight.)
I just listened to Krugman interview Prof. Kim Lane Scheppele from Princeton on Hungary, and I improved my knowledge about what happened there by an order of magnitude. One thing that made it easier for Orban to turn Hungary into a competitive autocracy was that with a 2/3 majority you can change the Constitution. Magyar and Tisza should have enough to reverse much of what Orban did. It is much harder to amend the US Constitution, which is saving us from Trump right now.
I've also started listening to the book "Without Precedent" by Lisa Graves, who was also interviewed by Krugman a couple of weeks ago I think. This book details how the Roberts court is harming our democracy. So we have a Constitution but we have bad-faith actors in the Federalist Society who have captured our judicial system. I'm only through the first two chapters but it is worth listening to.
Yeah, Simon did an interview on Hopium--sometime last fall, I think--with Lisa Graves. Likely still available somewhere in the Hopium interview list.
I either missed the Lisa Graves interview or I forgot about it... Thanks for pointing that out. At any rate I was unaware of the book.
see above, could it have been the Litman inteview?
I searched the "Podcasts" tab on the main Hopium site and did not find a Lisa Graves interview, but did find this great interview with Professor Litman, also the author of a book about the Roberts Court. https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/how-the-roberts-court-is-betraying?r=2ia0gw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web×tamp=2.6
Yeah, sorry John and Patrick. It was the Litman interview I was thinking about--not one with Lisa Graves. Similar subject matter and thesis--how the Roberts' court and its right-wing agenda are undermining democracy and the rule of law.
Find it here as well. That interview was one of my favs of the last few years: https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/winning-in-a-evolving-political-battlefield
I think I vaguely remember Litman interviewing Lisa Graves too. But I didn't know who she was at the time and I didn't make much of a note of it. Litman is great. What got my attention this time was the book which I think may have just come out. At any rate I found it on Spotify.
In yesterday's comments someone recommended a Heather Cox Richardson video but couldn't find the link. I don't know if this is the one, but this one is extremely relevant to our work, our progress and to the situation that led us to the dissatisfaction that led to Trumpism- the control of our democracy by corporate interests which lead to wealth disparity and concentration, and the frustration of the average citizen that the American dream is out of reach. When we talk about "affordability" I think this involves more than just prices. It is the feeling that the most basic needs in our lives are out of our control, that we have no say in how we live.
To paraphrase the Joni Mitchell song Big Yellow Taxi -"tear down Main St and put up a data center"
The old "work hard" trope is a bunch of bs. There are plenty of people working two jobs just to barely keep their noses above water. The big guys get bailed out every time there is a crisis, usually caused by them and the politicians they have supported, and the small business and the family farms get toasted (just another opportunity for their land and assets to get snapped up by private equity for fire sale prices.)
It has to end!
Tax rates are not enough of an answer to this problem. There have to be laws about ownership - that is, the concept of more than your fair share, too big to exist, and so on need to enter the picture. We talk about the four freedoms. Let's talk about freedom from want. One solution is for example SNAP, but that's not enough. Why are there so many people who can't afford groceries -- and I mean people who are employed!!!!
I'm sick of the GOP bs about "work requirements" For fuckssake, they don't want to tell you how many people who work at Walmart are on SNAP. This isn't a "free market." For most of us its an extortion market and that is why we want candidates who refuse corporate donations and who are ready to admit that what Reaganism really was is a declaration of class war against the Four Freedoms.
So what can the Democrats, when in power, actually do about this through the processes of democracy? HRC looks back to the last gilded age for one answer: a re-invigoration of anti-trust laws
https://youtu.be/edJU2rmoCTc?si=PlhUexjSosC8z0_v
Perhaps another piece: Campaign Finance Reform. Montana is leading the nation with the Transparent Election Initiative (aka The Montana Plan) by which the State would revoke powers of corporations to spend $$ on political campaigns and ballot initiatives. This initiative (I-194) will be on the November 2026 ballot IF we get enough signatures (5% of voters in 1/3 of all legislative districts). The Montana Plan polls well at 70 to 80% and across party lines. It WILL pass if we get it on the ballot. We need to collect ~50,000 signatures by mid June to get this done. https://transparentelection.org
Yes, I've heard about that. Needs to happen everywhere
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1B2SZQS1Jv/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Simon, firstly, thank you for this newsletter and secondly, to echo Arctic Stone’s sentiment, Ukraine is WINNING!!! We’re all at a precipice no doubt and can feel the tide shifting in our favor significantly in spite of the chaos at hand.
That said, and as per the link above, this is a brief clip of a recent interview with our great democracy warrior Governor Newsom when he went on Bill Maher’s show. I have a love/hate relationship with Maher and the clip started by quoting the sentiment of Senator Fetterman (who I also am having issues with frankly).
However, what Newsom says here about our party as a whole and how we navigate forward, I feel is rather spot on. While healthy on its face, the fractures we see existing between the progressive wing of the party to the left of center wing of the party to the center wing of the party is all very real and will obv need to be confronted in due time (even though the overarching pro democracy goals are keeping each wing connected thank God).
Maybe not today, but at some point when it best fits, I’d love to hear your take on Newsom’ comments and how we use his assertion to our advantage as we progress towards the midterms and more so, towards the 2028 Presidential election. Newsom is trying to build on something that President Obama, Harris, Pete B., Senator Mark Kelly, and Governor Shapiro all articulate and have had success with, laying out a roadmap to future wins…least in my view.
if you read the commentary by the left wing of the party, as i often see at places like dkos, you quickly learn that newsom is a frequent target of their ire. frankly, if it isn't bernie sanders or one of his endorsed candidates, they are not interested. otoh, in their view, momdani is the most brilliant, articulate mayor in the history of nyc, and if every dem would be like him, it would usher in a golden age of progressivism. now, i happen to think the mayor of nyc is a very talented politician and seems to be good at what he does; that said, he did not overwhelm with his election victory, which should have been a blowout for a democrat; i mean, he was running against two geezers, one a sex pest and the other a radio clown in a red beret who founded a fake paramilitary organization that staged vigilante acts. i mention this only because some on the far left have this notion that dems lose because our candidates aren't singing the international....they view spanberger and sherill, who blew the doors off with their wins, as too centrist, for example. so, there is no real pleasing that crowd, in my experience. if it is not gaza, it will be something else; someone wrote, where are all the campus protests against the war in iran? maybe we just aren't hearing about them?
I agree with much of this sentiment. However, we don’t want to risk writing too many off either (unless they’re extremist). Personally, I view Hasan Piker as an extremist and feel he doesn’t nor should he represent the majority of the party. While the progressive wing poses issues for us to confront, the key to winning elections does seem to be the left of center (Obama, Harris, Newsom, Kelly, Pete B, Shapiro, Spanberger, Sherrill) all of whom ARE progressive in their own way. There’s progressive as it relates to actual progress and then there’s ‘progressive.’ The self proclaimed social justice warrior but only when it matters to them. The right has these same extreme factions although they’re inherently far more dangerous. We want to do everything possible to ensure we don’t become ‘the problem’ MAGA has become. AOC falls somewhere in the middle cuz she is progressive but not ‘extremist.’ She seasons herself year to year and I think reads the tea leaves better than given credit for. That said, I prefer to see her in the senate first to gain more experience and more tangible traction over ‘popularity traction.’ Hopefully, the party will be sharp enough to embrace Harris back into the fold so that should she run again and perhaps not even achieve the nomination, we don’t write off her appeal when in fact, she could plausibly ascend to AG which would fit into the crux of her strength. Arguably, it’s what she should have been under Biden cuz God knows with her having ran the DOJ rather than Garland…we wouldn’t be HERE!!! Please Gov Newsom or Senator Kelly! Should either of you win, make her AG 🙏🙏🙏.
well, kelly is short and bald....newsom has great hair. i wish that shit didn't matter, but it does. the left also has issues with kelly. as for aoc, i never did buy that she was some flaming leftist; she seems like an fdr democrat to me. but the narrative works for the right wing; she's depicted as a wild eyed radical feminist, a brown one at that....i think she has actually done a good job of hanging back and learning the ropes. now, i'm a left of center guy, but i want to win. getting obama in for 8 years but surrendering the things we wanted because the right wing astro-turfed a tea party movement and made sure it was plastered all over the media and they cut off his ability to get more done, is very frustrating; then we see biden getting things done and getting no credit for it; paul krugman even said so recently! i was a young man for reagan's terms, but seeing the chart showing biden's turnaround of the economy and inflation almost mirroring exactly reagan's in 84...with reagan going on to blow the doors off,while polling showed biden was going to get creamed if he stayed in the race, has me scratching my effin head. we had a good president who accomplished a lot but had no media savvy, and now we are suffering because his last second replacement just could not overcome racism, sexism, and not being perfect. betcha she'd win today.....but the knives are out for her already, from all the usual places, in our own house...
I feel Harris is still a highly underestimated talent. Don’t discount her just yet…especially as AG. You’re right in that superficial optics still play its role. However, given the burning desire for a fighter, temperance, reclaiming of our democracy, I also wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Kelly. He reminds me of a Dem version of McCain and may be just what we need (for one term, then opening the door to push the boundaries with say, a 3 x a charm move with a woman in 2032). Truth is when all said and done, we don’t know what we don’t know. My instinct tells me 2028 will elect a more moderate Dem and if in right on that, then I sense all bets are off for 2032 (in a good way). I do believe in my gut we will elect a first Female Democratic President in our lifetimes and in our not too distant future at that. Could still be Harris but I sense it being the likes of her, Whitmer, Spanberger, Sherrill, or AOC (but 2032/36 when she seasons herself further especially given she has the charisma). Pete B will land there somewhere one day soon, either as Secretary of State or VP, if not future Pres. too prominent a figure himself not to ascend further.
I like Jack Smith for AG. Or Marc Elias or Neil Katyal. But that is 2.5 years from now.
Wouldn’t argue with either of those choices either. Then have Harris as President and Pete as VP…now we’re talking magic 😂. Hey, never say never 🤷🏻♂️😉🙏
Meant to elaborate further and say the superficial may not play s big a role as anticipated starting soon (hopefully). The desire for change and moxie is finding all sorts of interesting ‘looks’ these days to sink its teeth in amongst the electorate. Yes, Newsom ‘looks’ like a President and may very well become the next President, which I wouldn’t object to. Harris looked like a President! Mind you, and perhaps another convo for another day, I hear you on both the sexism and racism but I actually believe she did win. Between Musk and other elements, I personally don’t trust the integrity of this last election but again, I don’t wanna stir much up on that front she atm, it doesn’t matter given the mess we’re in now. Regardless, the party would be foolish to cast Harris aside as a major player in one way or another. Furthermore, I also think we’re entering a new phase in our modern political landscape too. So the ‘looks’ element may descale some sooner than we think.
good discussion. but my man on the street surveys among dems find a lot of anger toward harris, with dems saying they will not support her if she runs. this needs to be paid attention to. she did not get a fair shot, neither did biden,and we cannot expect one.
I personally agree with you that she did NOT get a fair shot. I also think it goes far too unnoticed the fact that she…yes, the female candidate of color…built/led a $1 billion grassroots movement/campaign and overflowed arenas when people were literally walking away from his 🤔. So whatever ‘anger’ is harbored towards her by voters in my mind, is foolish…especially when having been up against the likes of an aspiring dictator! I also don’t wanna hear one more person tell me she lost cuz of Gaza. That’s ridiculous! If the election was indeed fair, then SHE didn’t lose. We lost it for her. Harsh statement but true. Now we’re in our most ripe position yet which I’m proud to be apart of but excluding her from the fight would be detrimental of the party. She SHOULD be AG if anything and mark my words. Should that come to fruition, she’ll more than make America proud 🫡.
Daily KOS represents only a small fraction and faction of progressive sentiment in the electorate.
If you want an inspired progressive vision, please watch Ro Khanna speaking to the D.C. Press Club last week here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opqc5SR8Q7Y
That (!) is what I want to hear from Democratic leaders.
sticking to this narrative, I just read this clip in the WSJ gifted today from Ann in the chat (Thanks again, Ann) :
"Despite positive trend lines for Democrats, it won’t be an easy ride to victory. Generational and policy divisions are straining the party, which could result in potentially less competitive general-election candidates emerging from coming primaries."
Do we become less competitive by striving for agents of change to meet the moment, or by sticking to norms of behavior that may feel less threatening to the moderate faction and has democrats still polling as too weak to deliver the goods despite election performance?
My answer is neither.
I recently heard someone say the new Democratic Party goes from A-Z... Abigail to Zorhan, and all those in between, who believe in a big tent with common values... which for me boils down to this: Pro-Democracy and Freedom from the oppression led by billionaire oligarchs, corporate and virulent special interest lobbies ( yes you AIPAC, NRA, Big Pharma, Tech Bros, etc) and voter suppression tactics. We have to separate the wheat from the chaff in these primaries and go make that better world Simon has been focusing on lately, by choosing electeds who "get it."
Can we all get on that boat and stop bashing left or moderate strains under the pro-democracy tent we all share?
good discussion thanks
Ro Khanna is killing it lately.
...in a good way, right?
Enjoy this from the WSJ!!! Republican nerves “fraying”….
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/republican-nerves-are-fraying-ahead-of-midterm-elections-126ddffa?st=zKxRxg
Cracks become bigger cracks. Even the WSJ is reporting it. The GOP seems to be basing whatever remaining shreds of hope it has in the midterms on a Trump course correction. Good luck with that. Thanks for posting, Ann
Joanna Coles’ (Daily Beast) latest interview with psychologist Dr. John Gartner provides chilling insight into Trump’s disordered and dangerous behavior
California voters, check out KQED Scott Shafer’s interviews with post-Swalwell gubernatorial candidates.
Where can I find these interviews? I understand Becerra is rising in the polls. I am voting for whomever is in the lead but geez, I wish most of them would drop out already.
Google Becerra for links to coverage. On YouTube within the past few days, there’s an interview on “Under the Desk News,” another, by “Silent Middle Child.” Becerra, rising in polls, qualified for participation in the upcoming “debate” in Los Angeles.
Thank you. I am glad Becerra qualified for the debate. I think people are taking a second look at him. He was so low in the polls, it's quite surprising he rose so quickly after Swalwell dropped out. I still think others need to drop out and hopefully they will soon. Ballots go out in 2 weeks.
"Our country is on an unsustainable path, and must change course."
Absolutely, but how? Since Trump's Easter Tweet followed 2 days later by his civilization obliteration tweet, it feels we have escalated into a new level of chaos.
I believe we must, and will, keep winning and overperforming in special elections and the midterms provided we keep working, but the new Congress won't be sworn in until more than 8 months from now.
Simon points to the cracks in the GOP congress, and we must do everything we can to pressure and widen those cracks until a handful break from the mad king to get Trump off the stage.
Right now the House will be 217-214 once Mejia is sworn in to take Mikie Sherrill's former seat. If Massie were to shift to independent and 2 House Members just gave up and resigned immediately, the gavel would shift to Hakeem Jeffries. I know last week I quoted the aphorism "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, everyday would be Christmas." However, It's close.. it's plausible. And we must continue to resist, persist and apply pressure to the GOP.
My Rep is Jimmy Panetta, son of Leon. He was first elected in 2016, so he had an interesting freshman year starting off at the same time as Trump. He joined a group called the problem solvers caucus which is a bipartisan group that meets regularly to find common ground on legislation, mostly budget items, and they have worked deals on things like agriculture, internet law, etc. Since that Easter week escalation from Trump, I have been calling Jimmy's office and pleading with his staff to FIND SOME REPUBLICANS(!!!) to help usher Trump of the world stage. Vance is bad, and ridiculous and embarassing, but he is a step away from crazytown, which is primary. We're not there yet as they still haven't passed a War Powers Act, but every day Trump is more unpopular, the midterms are a day closer and the pressure on the GOP to break ranks will continue to grow.
We have to keep pushing. Hopiates in red places have more leverage than I do to push their MoCs. I know it must be tough to speak to the deaf-eared electeds, but persist, and be creative and know they are under enormous pressure. I loved the quote a couple weeks ago from Marcia in Iowa to her red MoCs; "Trump is insane, what's your excuse?"
Keep pushing, keep praying, keep persisting and resisting. Big cracks become a broken regime.
Maybe if we can convince Trump that pulling out of Iran and paying them reparations is the same thing as strategic bankruptcy, he’ll go along with it and let the world start recovering….. what a fuck up 🤬
The problem might be solved if we just get FIFA to give him another trophy. This one for 'winning' the war with Iran. A replica of a gold fighter jet might do the trick.
😂😂😂. They’re already disgraced from what they’ve done before, so they might as well.
Thank you as always for huge effort you maintain in keeping us informed.
The thing I cannot understand is why the Republicans--and a handful of Democrats--in Congress are allowing this grotesque circus to continue. They could stop it today, but they won't. Are they all that spineless? Are they all in the files? Are they all willing to let their constituents die to make a buck? Other countries are holding their monsters accountable, but we're paralyzed.
Do you see any signs that Congress is EVER going to defy the God-Emperor? I've marched in every rally, I donate, I make calls, I write letters, and I sense an ever-increasing tide of defiance rising in the US, but those blockheads just sit there.
What can we do?
see my comment today.
You can know the truth about what is happening in politics by following the money.