Flotsam and Jetsam - Will Russia Really Invade Estonia?

John Sexton at Hat Hair hears a Moscow Refinery Shut Down After Election Day Attack. Streiff at RedState, notes Russia Lost Its Refineries and Trump Lost the Energy Ceasefire He Announced. PJM's VodkaPundit asks Who Had 'World War III Starting in Estonia' on Their 2026 Bingo Card? Insty, “WHAT WILL BRING WORLD WAR III?” “IT’LL PROBABLY BE SOME DAMN FOOL THING IN THE BALTICS.” Eric S. Raymond @esrtweet, "The city of Narva, Estonia, sits at the Russian border, on the Narva river, opposite the zone where the Russians have declared a curfew for its inhabitants and a no-go zone for people who don't already live there. Narva is 87% ethnic Russian. There are intelligence reports that Russia has been building hospital facilities near this border. Russian border guards have been spotted shoring up the banks of the Narva River in exactly the way you would expect if you thought they were going to throw expedient military bridges across it. ..." Howling Wolf gives us a Heads-Up! Tom Kratman @TKratman, "Several possibilities. 1) It is a bluff designed to distract us from the Ukraine. 2) It is a bluff designed to make us worry about the outbreak of general war without regard to the Ukraine. 3) It is real and indicates a willingness to fight the US and the pathetic rump of NATO. 4) It is real but indicates an intent only to grab Narva, in the belief that we wouldn't fight over it or that Estonia would accept a little border rectification rather than risk more general destruction. I'd say the order of likelihood is 1), 4), 2), 3) 3), in particular, I'd consider least likely because Russian performance in the Ukraine does not justify having much faith in the Russian armed forces against even us and Poland, alone. Or even Poland, alone." At Covid and Coffee, NATO FROZE OVER. Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Sounds like a good idea. Russia seems to need a pointed reminder. And so does the rest of NATO." Quote War Correspondent @warDaniel47, "BREAKING: President Trump is officially moving towards establishing an ARMY base in the country of POLAND, after the election of right-wing President Karol Nawrocki. GREAT idea! They share our interests!" Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Keeps the Russians out. They don’t want to cross that line." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Though frankly with all this Russian war talk in Britain and now Estonia, I find it hard to imagine the Russians could mount another land campaign, or another war of any kind. They’re having a hard enough time with the one they have going." VodkaPundit at Insty, IN THE GRAND OLD TRADITION OF STALIN ORDERING TROTSKY MURDERED IN MEXICO: "Russia Allegedly Went Shopping for a Hitman in America. The Price Was $40,000. “An indictment unsealed in Manhattan charges five people with working in a network tied to Russian intelligence services. Prosecutors say the network recruited people in America to surveil Russian dissidents and, in at least one case, tried to recruit someone to carry out a killing here. All five defendants remain at large.”" Trent Telenko @TrentTelenko, "This visual of how Ukraine evacuates casualties in the age of drones demonstrates the US Army Medical Branch's block obsolescence. The Geneva convention is dead in the age of drones, which makes crewed medevac vehicles priority target death traps. Air & ground evacuation drones are the way."

Bob Hoge at RedState hears Iran Claims an 'Astonishing' New Weapons As Trump Weighs Three Options to End the Conflict. John Sexton asks What's Next in Iran? Kenneth R. Timmerman at Am Think thinks This Is The War That Ends The Endless Wars "Republicans, grow a spine and explain to your constituents what this war is all about." From the Telegraph, There’s only one way to defeat the Houthis. "The only sure way to remove the danger posed to the global economy by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen is to cut off the head of the snake that funds them." Dave Strom, Award-Winning Gaza Journalist Admits That Hamas Controls the Media Narrative™. Max @MaxNordau, "BOMBSHELL: Motaz Azaiza admits Gazans were hoping for war. "Let me tell you a secret. I don't know if you'll keep it in. A lot of people in Gaza were wishing the war would come." Why? "When a war or an escalation comes, the NGOs talk to you. There's a job opportunity." "People only know us through war." The most prominent "photojournalist" in Gaza admits that Gazans wanted a war because it would convince international organizations to give them money." NYPo, Gaza journalist who met with Mamdani admits he buried Oct. 7 footage of Israeli hostages being beaten to protect perpetrators. The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "This “free Palestine” movement is a social contagion. None of these people have any knowledge of the history of the conflict or the current politics of the region. It’s just the latest thing to show off, like the trans movement or a new pair of Nikes."

Hat Hair's Beege Welborn, quotes Germany's Merz on Sunday's Election Results: 'We Can’t Sugarcoat It, It Was a Disaster.' As the Telegraph puts it, Merz’s CDU suffers total wipeout in state election. Ace, AfD Wins Another Regional Election in Germany; Ruling Chancellor's Party Collapses So Badly It Fails to Win a Single Seat in the Regional Parliament. Jo Bhakdi @JOBhakdi, "Imagine you are the police, there is a political coup and your new boss are now the clans you used to fight. An interesting situation which plays out in the German capital as well as in many Swedish cities...." Rod Dreher @roddreher, "Serious question: why should Englishmen fight to defend the prerogatives of a ruling class that has utterly failed in its duty to the people it governs? And not only that, but seems to actively despise them?" Quote Jacob Rees-Mogg @Jacob_Rees_Mogg, "We need to bring back Duty and the Stiff Upper Lip."

Sundance at CTH hosts Secretary Bessent Discussing the 12-Hour Session with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (sic), a Must Watch Interview with USTR Jamieson Greer – China, Europe, Canada and Beyond and Trump Dumps Globalist Potash Supplier, Canada, for Nationalist Potash Supplier, Belarus. Maybe. The US has potash too, but we don't mine much because of NIMBY.

At Am Prosp, Congressional Democrats in Hysterics About Saving the World From AI, "Why panic when you could just use existing laws?" Dave Strom, Moral Panics Are the Preferred Tool to Gain Control of Society Insty sees PANIC: "Human extinction fears make me want to flee AI and live on an island. Hope that works out for you." Peter St Onge, Ph.D. @profstonge, "Bessent: No Liability Shield for AI Good call. If AI really is as dangerous as their paid activists claim, the solution is more liability. As for the claim liability will strangle the industry, the fix is neuter the trial lawyer lobby, not give out free passes to break stuff and walk away."Quote Wall Street Rollup @WallStRollup, "Scott Bessent makes it clear the Trump Administration will not take model liability off the hands of the AI labs:" You had me at neuter the lawyers. PJM's Scott Pinsker thinks Something Very Strange Is Happening With Trump and AI Users — and It Just Might Swing the Midterms. "Trump's approval stood at 54 percent among daily AI users, compared with 45 percent who disapproved, leaving him nine points above water with this group. Weekly AI users gave Trump a net rating (those who approve minus those who disapprove) of minus 35 points. Monthly users recorded a net rating of minus 50 points, the weakest result among all groups." Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "It's not that hard. The left lets institutions and communities break down to a point of total degradation to prove why more government and non profits are the answer .... Mostly the concern I see on the political right over AI is cultural because there's nothing more that the political left and the Democratic Party wants them to get their claws into AI. Because once an AI is programmed to tell people that boys can become girls it's the death of truth. Data centers being built isn't the problem, the data in those data centers is." Quote David Sacks @DavidSacks, "While I’m no fan of socialism or arbitrary confiscations of wealth, I can see why Bernie Sanders’ proposal (for the government to take a 50% stake in AI companies) resonates, including with many on the right. The CEOs of the leading AI labs have told us repeatedly that they will x.com/BernieSanders/…"

RedState's Sister Toldja toldja Trump Ties the Press in Knots During Visit With Mamdani at Gracie Mansion. Sundance, President Trump and Communist NYC Mayor Mamdani Hold a Press Availability at Gracie Mansion. "The Make America Great mission does not care about feelings, it’s about results. Washington DC hates him, yet President Trump has restored the parks and monuments, for everyone in Washington DC. The same applies here. President Trump walked into Gracie Mansion because he refuses to facilitate incompetence. President Trump is watching Mamdani, and the New York Mayor knows Trump is watching."

From Fortune, Treasury yields are already blowing up the CBO’s long-term forecasts, and experts who previously downplayed U.S. debt fears are now starting to worry. Jesse Kelly @JesseKellyDC, "You’ve had negative net migration for the first time in your entire life and I don’t even know how old you are. You don’t vote because Trump and the GOP delivered on everything. You vote because the communists will make it all much worse." Quote Critical Semite Theory @CST_Professor Replying to @JesseKellyDC, "I voted for Mass Deportations, better economy and no new wars. I got the 'Retreat from Minnesota', $4.50/gal gas and a new war at Israel's behest."

Defiant L’s @DefiantLs, "Hasan Piker: "The Republican Party has become a fascist party in America. It's turning into a fascist party ideologically in the United States."https://x.com" Yeah he's definitely gonna be campaigning for Democrats. Sure, some have denounced him but I reckon he'll tone down his crazy rhetoric and push more of the same used up card that Democrats actually approve of... Republicans are fascists and they hate America. Will it work though? I guess only time will tell." At Am Spec, Dan Flynn thinks Six Degrees of Hasan Piker Not a Winning Strategy. "Voters have often declined to judge candidates by their company." Jake Altman @TradeUnionJake, "Prominent Abdul El-Sayed supporter and former DNC member Liano Sharon, a signatory of the “Michigan Jews for Democracy” letter voicing support for El-Sayed, stated today that Haley Stevens should not face the death penalty because, “I don't support the death penalty, even for neo-Nazis.” Sharon also said that the statement, “We will see you at the gallows,” “carries a very appropriate sentiment.”..." Stu Smith @thestustustudio, "At the U20 Mayors Summit, Mamdani Says the Left Has Ceded “Quality of Life,” “Efficiency,” and “Fraud and Waste” to the Right This was one of the more interesting arguments Zohran Mamdani made today at the U20 Mayors Summit, and a reminder that he can be genuinely sharp when he drops the “central casting” routine. “In New York City, there are certain words that have taken on ideological associations.” “Quality of life has come to be seen as somehow a right-wing concern. Efficiency… has been taken on as a right-wing concern, rooting out fraud and waste, a right-wing concern....” In a Hat Hair vid, Scott Jennings says It's Time to Fight Back Against Socialism. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "WTF!? Denver socialist candidate for mayor Shontel Lewis that her STEALING thousands in public food stamps QUALIFIES her to serve as mayor "I actually think that experience is what actually QUALIFIES me...I did something silly." You literally can't make this up — she says stealing from the taxpayer QUALIFIES her for mayor At least she's being honest, THAT'S WHAT SOCIALISTS DO for a LIVING. This is actually a disqualification. At Quotulatiousness “Honest” graft « We have enough fraud in America, especially in food stamps!" From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog Los Angeles is Dead Last In Housing Affordability. Paul Valas at John Kass, Brandon Johnson’s So-Called Progressive Equity Agenda Is a Potemkin Village That’s Hurting the Black Community, but I'll be his friends are getting rich. 

MD Kittle at Da Fed says New Records Suggest ActBlue Opened The Door Wide To Foreign Donors, but we already knew that. At Data Republican's Substack I mapped 25+ GB of Effective Altruism material. Here's what I learned. "Why Effective Altruism should be banned from AI safety, policy-making, and governance."

@OliLondonTV, "Jamie Lee Curtis and Robert De Niro pledge to defend the U.S. Constitution in new campaign to protest Trump. “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”" Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Remember in 2016 when some of these same Hollywooders made a video begging Republican electors to defy the will of voters and not cast their votes for Trump." Steve Richards at JTN reports Prosecutors zero in on John Brennan’s role in Trump-Russia collusion narrative in conspiracy case, "Federal prosecutors will likely examine ex-CIA Director John Brennan’s pivotal role at the beginning, in the middle, and during the aftermath of the Trump-Russia investigation as part of the grand conspiracy probe." PJM's Matt Margolis says Now We Have Proof That the FBI Protected Biden in Classified Docs Case. At Althouse, Meade texts me from upstairs, at 5:47 a.m., about how badly Democrats want to be rid of Donald Trump. "I'd say there's a majority — 54% — who fail to disapprove of assassination. AND: Only 28% disapprove of a military coup to oust Trump." 

At NYPo, Justice Department charges 16 across multiple states with alleged illegal voting, election crimes and Jonathan Turley thinks Soros-funded DA Larry Krasner may have finally taken his ‘free all criminals’ too far. The Patriarch Tree @PatriarchTree, "Here you go, @AAGDhillon: Should be an easy layup." Quote Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "A new “reparations” program is launching in Germantown, Philadelphia to help Black families buy homes - Must identify as Black - Only black residents are eligible for the grants."

At CJ, Ilya Shapiro warns Don’t Judge the Supreme Court by Its Polls "Public confidence is down in an age of collapsing institutional trust, but Americans still generally support the Court’s rulings." It may be our least corrupted institution. 

Matt Vespa at TownHall asserts Unhinged Female Jurors Are Mad That the Lindsay Clancy Holdout Focused on the Facts and Patrick Clancy's 60 Minutes Interview Was Devastating. Sarah Anderson at PJM in tears 'He Died in My Arms' — Lindsay Clancy's Ex-Husband Speaks. The baby took days to die. Dave Strom on The Moral Perversion That Lies at the Heart of Lindsay Clancy's Support. Larry Correia @monsterhunter45, "To put the banality of evil into perspective, this reply is in the comments to the an article about an old lady in Canada changing her mind about getting MAIDed, the government killing her anyway, and to make it extra horrible, they botched it so she died terrified and covered in her own blood. But you know, in America sometimes dentists pull the wrong teeth!" Quote Sirenity @Sirenity_yyc "g to @DailyMail, "Shitty doctors exist in every country. Do we need to look at the ones who fuelled the opioid crisis in the US or the dentists in the US who erroneously extracted teeth?"

Steve Camarota at Am Mind says The “Trump Effect” on Immigration Is Real. Cathy Salgado at PJM looks at 16 Months of Zero Border Releases and a Crackdown on Illegal Alien Voting. At Ace's Morning Rant, Buck Throckmorton likes how a new Trump Executive Order Targets Employers that Lay Off American Citizens to Hire Foreign H-1B Labor. Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre, "The GOP is a clown show but if the Dems gain power they will simply end all immigration enforcement and the country will be over They have said this explicitly, repeatedly, and consistently." Quote Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47, "Texas Rep. Greg Casar compares immigration enforcement to "war" and says the only way "for Austin to be safe" is to stop enforcing immigration law altogether." Beege Welborn observes Dem Rep. Making Sure Austin Stays Angry Over ICE Shooting. 

Dave Strom cites a UK Whistleblower: 99 percent of Asylum Claims Are Fake "He said he had encountered a large number of Iraqi Kurds claiming asylum who said they had been in a relationship with the daughter of the prime minister of the Kurdistan region. The official said it had become a “running joke” among colleagues that the number of Iraqi Kurds who said they were involved with the daughter was in the “hundreds”." Ace, Whistleblower: 99% of Asylum Claims Are Fake, "You don't say. You don't say."Visegrád 24 @visegrad24, "Denmark granted special residence permits to 321 stateless Palestinians from Lebanon in 1992. By the end of 2019, Danish government data showed that 196 of the original 321 (61%) had been found guilty of at least one criminal offense. Together, the 196 accumulated 881 criminal convictions or other guilty decisions between 1992 and 2019. The pattern extended into the next generation. Of 999 children of the original refugees who were living in Denmark at the end of 2019, 337, or roughly 34%, had been convicted of a crime."

Ace woke up and noticed Trump Announces Ban on CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from White House Press Room. Matt Margolis remembers when CNN Wanted Biden to Ban Fox News From the White House. From Twitchy, Scott Bessent Can't Help but LAUGH As CNBC Journo Tries Arguing With Him About the 1st Amendment. John Ocasio-Rodham Nolte @NolteNC, "Vance is so damn good at this. Look at how affable he is while hitting CNN, MS NOW, and Politico in the middle of the head with a ball-peen hammer. "Special access" is the exact right way to frame this... Because that's what it is... And we all remember these outlets pushing to have Trump blacklisted from social media. We all know these outlets censor Trump's statements and speeches by refusing to cover them. We all remember these outlets remaining silent when Biden revoked special White House access for hundreds of media outlets. https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status." Sundance likes how JD Vance Dismisses Three Media Networks Apoplexy About Losing White House “Special Access” and features Susan Kokinda Making Some Good Points. Don Surber says Trump learned, DC didn’t, "Why the second presidency rocks."

Ace, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Who Is Unaccountably Wealthy Due to Being a DEI Race Grifter and History Hoaxer, Sent Her Kids to Poor-Performing Schools As a Political Race Stunt. At Althouse,
"When Najya was entering pre-K, my husband, Faraji, and I decided to send her to the type of school that wealthier families with choices uniformly avoid..." "I'm finally reading the Nikole Hannah-Jones essay "In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own? A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice" (NYT gift link)."

From Campus Reform, Calif. board of trustees scraps Pledge of Allegiance over 'white nationalism' history. The Texas Trib notices UT-Austin cutting majors centering Latino, Black, women and gender studies, email shows. On FIRE, At Whitman, freedom of association is a partisan right. "Demand that Whitman College allow the Whitman Republican Club a fair shot at affiliation." 

From Calling-all-RushBabes *Here it is, Washington. The Money Quote on what the Governor thinks about the parents of our state.

Brad R. Torgersen @BradRTorgersen, "British author Mary Harrington speculates than an afternoon spent fishing in the company of other men has x10 the therapeutic benefit of a counselor's office visit. Get outside. Be out there doing things with other men. And if you have a good relationship with your father, spend time with your Dad. Your Dad has been where you are. Your Dad knows. Talk to your Dad." Quote D.J. Butler -- Sci-Fi / Fantasy Author and Editor @DavidJohnButler, "Men, it's good to have other men as friends. Ride motorcycles together. Go shooting. Read books. Play games. Make things. Share your experiences of being a son, a husband, a father."