Neil Abrams
@neilabrams.bsky.social
Corruption, democracy, rule of law, Eastern Europe, Ukraine. Words in WaPo, Slate, Foreign Policy. PhD, political science. He/him. Subscribe at https://www.readthedetox.com
Wherever there's a massive fuck-up, look closely and you'll likely find that Jared Kushner was involved. Read @cjcmichel.bsky.social on Kushner's latest feat of failing upwards: the US-Iran deal.
Jared Kushner helped make this mess in Iran while making a mess of money
Let's not forget how America's humiliation began.
motherjones.com
The cratering of CBS News ratings is enjoyable, but also irrelevant. They didn't put Weiss in charge for ratings. They put her in charge to appease Trump, so he'd continue to favor Ellison companies with regulatory/policy decisions worth billions. There's only one viewer who matters.
"Do you want to use religion to do some bigotry?" Nahmon. I just need my hair. "Are you black?" Yeahmon. "GET FUCKED LOSER" --today at the Supreme Court
First two cases at SCOTUS today invovle the Republicans preventing victims of terrorism from suing foreign governments, but allowing oil companies to sue foreign governments. Never change, Republicans
This essentially affords the government the ability to deport any legal permanent resident, for any reason they invent, if the permanent resident leaves the country on vacation and tries to return.
Mark Joseph Stern@mjsdc.bsky.social · last mo.The Supreme Court's fifth and final decision is Blanche v. Lau, another 6–3 split. Per Thomas, the government does NOT require clear and convincing evidence that a green card holder committed a crime before divesting them of their lawful status at the border. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
It should not be lost on anyone that collective punishment was actively used by the Nazis themselves as “atonement exercises.” In 1941, the Nazis killed around 4,000 Serbs as an atonement for attacks that killed German soldiers.
Trump’s war with Iran wasn’t run-of-the-mill dumb. It was world-historical dumb. It’s the biggest fuck-up by a major power since Kaiser Wilhelm II. In my latest, I go through the Iran deal point-by-point to help you understand the monumental act of surrender it represents.
Dissecting Trump's Iran Screwup
This has been the biggest self-own by any state in the past century.
open.substack.com
Trump handed the Iranian regime a weapon that has FAR greater utility than a nuke. He legitimized the weaponization of the Strait of Hormuz and turning it into a toll booth to demand reparations payments. A nuke is relatively useless in comparison because the moment you use it, you’re toast.
Eric Michael Garcia@ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 4mo agoTrump attacks Pope Leo XIV again, saying "Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable?"
Come to think of it, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was arguably *as* dumb as this, especially considering the assumptions behind it ("Ukrainians are actually Russians at heart, so they won't resist, which means we can invade with only 140k troops and be in Kyiv in 3 days"). But still.
Neil Abrams@neilabrams.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe staggeringly humiliating terms of the MOU with Iran lays bare just how dumb this war was - probably the dumbest foreign policy decision by any major power in a hundred years. Like, Kaiser Wilhelm-level dumb. 1/n
Worth reading the full thread to understand exactly how colossal this failure is, and just how much Trump fucked up - for absolutely no reason. Killing countless Iranians and 13 US service members, and evaporating billions and billions of dollars - just to completely shit his pants on world stage.
Neil Abrams@neilabrams.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe staggeringly humiliating terms of the MOU with Iran lays bare just how dumb this war was - probably the dumbest foreign policy decision by any major power in a hundred years. Like, Kaiser Wilhelm-level dumb. 1/n
The staggeringly humiliating terms of the MOU with Iran lays bare just how dumb this war was - probably the dumbest foreign policy decision by any major power in a hundred years. Like, Kaiser Wilhelm-level dumb. 1/n
On second thought, maybe it was a bad idea to elect a president who's unaware of the concept of "using your inside voice."
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2mo agoDOOCY: Why not stick around for the signing ceremony of this Iran peace deal? TRUMP: I might. But this is a memorandum of understanding. It might not be the kind of document I should be signing. If it doesn't work out, I'm blaming JD.
One of my firmest beliefs is that in LA they say, "how ya doing?" and they mean "fuck you," and in New York City they say, "fuck you," and they mean, "how you doing?"
Andy Cortez@andycortez.cool · 2mo agoOhhh look at me I'm New York City. I have an awesome basketball team with likeable players and a mayor that cares about making life better for every citizen man fuck you
Alright, you guys want a *real* NYC deep cut? Funky Four + 1, 1979, starting at the 1:44 minute mark with Shah Rock, one of the greatest MCs ever, male or female. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukfB...
Rappin and Rockin the House - Funky 4 + 1 (1979)
YouTube video by 20th Century Hip Hop
youtube.com
Cheryl Lynn Eaton@cheryllynneaton.bsky.social · 2mo agoPlease drop the most New York song you know in celebration (NOT THAT ALICIA KEYS SONG!): www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCvx...
"Sharia law is coming for Texas!" One for the "big if true" file.
Taniel@taniel.bsky.social · 2mo agothere's an election this Saturday (yup, Saturday), in Texas, in which a really racist candidate is looking to become mayor of a city of roughly 200,000 — Frisco. Here's why it matters, in their words: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
The last time the Knicks won the championship was still four years <later> than the last time that there was a majority of Democratic-appointed justices on the Supreme Court.
Seth Masket@smotus.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe last time the Knicks won the championship Watergate was just a hotel
If we banned condiments, the quality of fries, burgers, and dogs would increase dramatically.
Hunter Walker@hunterw.bsky.social · 2mo agoYou guys ready for a really hot take?
This one really tickles me bc not only is it joyous and not only does the beat slap but they got choreography and everything
Greg Pak@gregpak.net · 2mo agoKNICKS IN FIVE KNICKS PRIDE BROOKLYN
"Go to Jurassic Park, they said. The fences are state-of-the-art, they said."
Sometime in the next three weeks, Trump will end this war. Why? Because he’s a coward. Time and again, he does something dumb, then bails out once he sees the predictable consequences. In my latest, I explore his latest stumble into idiocy in light of all the other times he’s done stupid shit.
Trump Doesn't Have the Balls for This
Expect him to end this war posthaste.
open.substack.com
As soon as Trump starts feeling the heat over Iran - probably within the next two weeks - he's gonna declare victory (easy to do when you have no identifiable objective) and pull out. As always, he got into it because he's a reckless dumbass and he'll get out of it because he's a coward.
“If we too want to occupy the White House, we clearly need a deeply unpopular openly corrupt violently racist backstabbing off putting orange piece of shit of our own.”
The Wall Street Journal@wsj.com · 5mo agoRahm Emanuel is delivering the Democratic Party a dose of tough medicine—in his usual blunt style—as the party enters a critical midterm primary season.
Anyone who questions the Trump/Netanyahu war with Iran threatens my personal safety as an American Jew. by Bret Stephens
Unlocking this post I wrote this back in June. I think it still applies. Among other things, it lays out in detail the likely consequences of a regime collapse. Spoiler alert: It’s not pretty. www.readthedetox.com/publish/post...
The Fix: The Real Cause of the Iran War
The stated pretext is absurd. Here's why the US really attacked.
readthedetox.com
This is true in rougly the same sense that a guy on the subway reeking of urine, screaming, and waving a knife around is “feared.”
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 5mo agoRep. Andrew Clyde: "We are feared on the world stage because of President Trump, so I'm looking forward to his speech"