Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

[Frelga]

In response, Florida Rep Jared Moskowitz introduced an amendment that Marjorie Taylor Greene "should be appointed Vladimir Putin's Special Envoy to the United States Congress."

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Which I thought was just as much a waste of time as Greene's amendments.

[RoseMorninStar]

Greene also wanted money for the Hawaii/Maui fires because there are conspiracy theories, which she must buy into, which claim the Maui fires were caused by a 'Direct Energy Weapon'.

[N.E. Brigand]

Which I thought was just as much a waste of time as Greene's amendments.

Agreed. Delay of any sort just plays into Vladimir Putin's hands. Speaking of which, one of Greene's amendments calls for the U.S. to withdraw from NATO.

[Frelga]

My hometown today. The Central Rail station that shows up in the final second is the last I saw of the city when we took the train for Moscow to fly to San Francisco



Fuck Russia.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Frelga]

The bombed building is just apartments.

[RoseMorninStar]

What a horrible waste, in every sense of the word.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The U.S. House of Representatives has finally passed a new aid package for Ukraine.

[RoseMorninStar]

I wonder if this helped push through aid for Ukraine. BBC: German spying: Two men held over suspected Russian sabotage plot

The two men, described as dual German-Russian nationals, were detained in Bayreuth on suspicion of spying for Russia, prosecutors say.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said authorities had prevented "possible explosive attacks".

The men are accused of scouting US military facilities and other sites. (...)

[N.E. Brigand]

I wonder if this helped push through aid for Ukraine. BBC: German spying: Two men held over suspected Russian sabotage plot

The two men, described as dual German-Russian nationals, were detained in Bayreuth on suspicion of spying for Russia, prosecutors say. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said authorities had prevented "possible explosive attacks". The men are accused of scouting US military facilities and other sites. (...)

There was also a story three days ago about a Polish man who was arrested for aiding a Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by scouting out a Polish airport that Zelenskyy uses.

It could be that Speaker Johnson was moved by these plots, if successful, would threaten to draw NATO and the U.S. directly into war with Russia.

Maybe President Biden finally convinced Johnson that allowing Russia to roll over Ukraine would embolden China to try the same thing in Taiwan.

Another point people are making is that the Southern Baptist Convention announced its support for the Ukraine package a few days ago. Those evangelicals pushed a message of Russia attacking religious freedom. There are suggestions of another motive: they hope increased opportunities to push their conservative religious agenda (e.g., anti-LGBTQ positions) in Ukraine after the war. I'm not too concerned, but let's check in on this in ten years.

- - - - - - - - - -
President Zelenskyy today expressed his gratitude to the House, "both parties, and personally Speaker Mike Johnson, adding, "Democracy and freedom will always have global significance and will never fail as long as America helps to protect it. ... Just peace and security can only be attained through strength." The bill next goes to the Senate and presumably to President Biden.

- - - - - - - - - -
There's a good point in here:



Republicans really should rename the Hastert rule.

(The Hastert rule says that no bill may receive a floor vote unless a majority of Republicans support it.)

- - - - - - - - - -
Somehow Sen. Lindsey Graham kept a straight face while saying, "This would not have passed without Donald Trump." It would have passed three months ago and been accompanied by an immigration and border package if Donald Trump hadn't blocked it! (Graham says that the reason Ukraine funding passed now is that part of the funding for Ukraine now is in the form of a loan. He's crediting Trump for that, but I haven't seen anything indicating it was Trump's idea.)

There have been questions about whether Speaker Johnson was bucking Donald Trump or whether Trump had quietly approved this move (for reasons unknown) when he met with Johnson a few days ago. Trump's man Steve Bannon said yesterday that "Mike Johnson must go, just like Kevin McCarthy." Or is that also a feint?

I'm wondering if Congressional passage of Ukraine funding was seen as inevitable -- House supporters for a discharge position that would have forced a vote were nearing the critical number -- and if Donald Trump got permission from Vladimir Putin to let it move forward, having done enough damage to Ukraine's military over the past few months.

- - - - - - - - - -
Even the conservative New York Post for once wasn't wrong:



There were also pieces mocking Greene at the Wall Street Journal, Newsmax, and Fox News's website.

For her part, Rep. Greene says "The American people agree with me."

- - - - - - - - - -
In what is probably a mostly symbolic move, Ukraine yesterday blew up a Russian salvage ship called "Commune" that was already in service when Lenin ruled.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I wonder if this helped push through aid for Ukraine. BBC: German spying: Two men held over suspected Russian sabotage plot

The two men, described as dual German-Russian nationals, were detained in Bayreuth on suspicion of spying for Russia, prosecutors say. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said authorities had prevented "possible explosive attacks". The men are accused of scouting US military facilities and other sites. (...)

There was also a story three days ago about a Polish man who was arrested for aiding a Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by scouting out a Polish airport that Zelenskyy uses.

It could be that Speaker Johnson was moved by these plots, if successful, would threaten to draw NATO and the U.S. directly into war with Russia.

Maybe President Biden finally convinced Johnson that allowing Russia to roll over Ukraine would embolden China to try the same thing in Taiwan.

The reports that I saw (which I have not tried to track down, at least yet) said that what changed Johnson's mind was being given access to the intelligence that showed why the intelligence community believed that it was be disastrous for not just Ukraine but for U.S. interests to not provide assistance to Ukraine. The reports that I saw further stated that he requested and was granted the ability to provide access to that intelligence to the hard-right opponents of that aid. Apparently, those individuals were not similarly moved by that information.

[N.E. Brigand]

The reports that I saw (which I have not tried to track down, at least yet) said that what changed Johnson's mind was being given access to the intelligence that showed why the intelligence community believed that it was be disastrous for not just Ukraine but for U.S. interests to not provide assistance to Ukraine. The reports that I saw further stated that he requested and was granted the ability to provide access to that intelligence to the hard-right opponents of that aid. Apparently, those individuals were not similarly moved by that information.

Thanks. Here's a detailed CNN story about that and more:

Johnson received a key intelligence briefing from CIA Director Bill Burns, who painted a picture of the dire situation on the battlefield in Ukraine and the global consequences of inaction, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. The briefing left a lasting impression, and Johnson became increasingly convinced the fate of Western democracy was on his shoulders, sources close to him said.

I didn't realize that the House actually passed four bills yesterday: one each for aid to Israel, "Indo-Pacific allies" (primarily Taiwan, I think), and Ukraine, respectively, and one for "imposing further sanctions on enemies of the United States." All Democrats voted for the Taiwan and Ukraine bills, 34 voted against the Israel bill, and 25 voted against the sanctions. There was a similar number of no votes from Republicans for the Israel, Taiwan, and sanctions bills, but 112 voted against the Ukraine funding.

[N.E. Brigand]

The Senate foreign aid package will combine the four House bills into one, so there is likely to be some opposition from both the left and right, but an attempt to filibuster the bill just was blocked by an 80-19 vote. And Republican Senate leadership has been sharing this document countering far-right misinformation about the bill.

[N.E. Brigand]

CNN's Ranu Maju reports: "Mitch McConnell, a staunch backer of Ukraine aid, says the anti-Ukraine movement began with Tucker Carlson, 'who, in my opinion, ended up where he should have been all along, which is interviewing Vladimir Putin.'" Apparently the final vote will happen later today.

[Frelga]

Russia is very unhappy with Johnson.



I have a conspiracy theory that I absolutely can't back up by any evidence. It involves:

1. Johnson agreeing to support the aid package in exchange for promise of support from the Democrats in case of another attempt to oust him

2. Zelenskyy agreeing to stop blowing up Russian refineries in exchange for the aid package

3. Democrats making the deal to avoid rising oil prices, which would hurt Biden's re-election chances

Is it likely? No. Is it more likely than Johnson growing a spine and doing the right thing for right reasons?

[River]

The public record is the CIA showed him something that made him change his mind. Could've been the geopolitical implications of Ukraine falling. Could've been proof of certain contacts within his caucus or his own office. Could've been both. Could've been something none of us are thinking of. What's also interesting is MTG appears to be rapidly losing her influence over the mouth-foaming caucus.

[N.E. Brigand]

The $95 billion foreign aid bill, including $61 billion for aid to Ukraine, has passed the Senate by a 79-18 vote.

"Thirty-one Republicans joined with 48 Democrats to pass the legislation. That's nine more Republicans than supported the aid package when the Senate last considered it in February. Two Democrats -- Sens. Jeff Merkley [of Oregon] and Peter Welch [of Vermont] -- as well as independent Sen. Bernie Sanders [of Vermont] voted against the legislation along with 15 Republicans." I know that Sanders wanted amendments adding conditions on Israel for that portion of the package, but if those passed, that probably would have sent the whole thing back to the House. Among the 15 Republicans who voted against the package is one of my senators from Ohio, J.D. Vance.

President Biden will sign the bill into law tomorrow. He issued this statement:

[A] bipartisan majority in the Senate joined the House to answer history’s call at this critical inflection point. Congress has passed my legislation to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the power of American leadership: we stand resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression. I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week. The need is urgent: for Ukraine, facing unrelenting bombardment from Russia; for Israel, which just faced unprecedented attacks from Iran; for refugees and those impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world, including in Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti; and for our partners seeking security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. I want to thank Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, and all of the bipartisan lawmakers in the Senate who voted for this bill. This critical legislation will make our nation and world more secure as we support our friends who are defending themselves against terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin.

The bill includes $61 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel, and $8 bill for "allies in the Indo-Pacific." As I said before, I believe the last item means primarily Taiwan. Maybe the phrasing is because the U.S. doesn't officially recognize Taiwan? Notice that Biden used the same wording.

The other day, I mentioned that there was a fourth bill in the package whose contents were unknown to me. Apparently that bill "would force a U.S. ban of TikTok if its Chinese parent company doesn't sell it; impose sanctions on Russia, China and Iran; and seize Russian assets to help Ukraine rebuild from the war's damage."

[Frelga]

Russian quote of the week

"Israel is secretly controlled by Jews“

-- Dima Medvedev

[RoseMorninStar]

Secretly?