#119th generation

[wishingforatypewriter]

Hi! I know this might be out of the blue, but recently I've been reminscing on Shokugeki No Soma. Looking back on the extreme fun of the first arcs, the eternal excitement I would feel whenever Joichiro showed up, also remembering that I kind of dropped it when BLUE came around ... But after all these years, I can say Damn, that was really fun. It truly had some unforgettable characters and moments that I still laugh so much at.

And you, my friend, were MY FAVORITE Shokugeki blog. To the point, where even if I wasn't that into what was happening in the manga, I would search up and read your posts. On Casual Committments was my lifeline!!! Your analysis of the characters and their diverse futures were so spot on. And don't even get me started on your Next Gen!

If there was ever a Next Gen cast that should be made official, it's yours. Give me Shokugeki no Raiden, and I will be there! I loved the fact that these characters felt like their parents, but also felt like completely themselves. It was everything I could ever ask for.

Having said that, I want to finish this ask with a question that you can ignore if you like, but I still gotta ask. From where I remember and from the brief reviewing I've been doing, Raiden's final ship was never confirmed. I know it's been years, but was a choice ever made between Akane and Maria for the endgame?

Hi!!! Thank you so much for your kind words! It truly warms my heart to know that my little posts and stories from years ago brought another person some joy! A while back, I had been thinking about transferring a few of my older fics over to ao3 for safekeeping, and your message has inspired me to actually do it.

In terms of the next gen fics, I never officially decided on endgame pairs. When I initially started the project, I intended for Raiden and Maria to be together. However, as I continued exploring the characters and their dynamics and getting feedback from readers, I wavered on it until I became more or less neutral on the matter. Although I know it isn't very satisfying, I sort of like the idea of letting readers choose their own ending. What I will say, though, is that my last fics in the 119th gen timeline feature Raiden and Akane in their mid 20s, and very much still romantically involved, while the Raiden/Maria fics leave off while they're in school.

Anyway, your comment truly made my day! Thanks again!

[thebreakfastgenie]

There are 212 cis Democrats who were elected to the 119th Congress. You can literally contact any of them with a level of friendliness appropriate to their record on trans rights to let them know you'd appreciate a public statement of their support for Representative-elect McBride and willingness to work with trans colleagues in general. This would be a hell of a lot more productive than continuing to discourse about whether or not you approve of how a trans woman is handling harassment from her soon-to-be coworkers who are professional transphobes.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * * *

Lessons from our success!

November 22, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from consideration for Attorney General is instructive on many levels. Most of the lessons learned should fortify us for the battles to come.

Lessons include:

Public pressure works. Although the proximate cause of Gaetz’s withdrawal was a lack of support among GOP Senators, that lack of congressional support was the first derivative of public outrage over Gaetz’s reprehensible conduct. We must repeat that public pressure with respect to Pete Hegseth, Robert Kennedy, and Tulsi Gabbard, among others. Everyone who called their Senators or otherwise raised the alarm about Gaetz deserves a pat on the back.

Just because Trump wants something doesn’t mean he can get it. Those who oppose Trump sometimes accept the myth that he can accomplish everything and anything he wants. Not so. On Wednesday, Trump expressed public support for Gaetz’s nomination as Attorney General. On Thursday, he told Gaetz, “You don’t have the votes.” If we resist, we can win. Timothy Snyder advises us, “Do not obey in advance.” To that admonition we should add, “Do not concede before the battle is over.”

Trump was bluffing about recess appointments. Like most bullies, Trump relies on bluffing to get most of what he wants. When challenged, he retreats. Trump threatened to use recess appointments (and the Adjournment Clause) to force nominations through the Senate. However, he allowed Gaetz to drop out as soon as it was clear that Gaetz did not have the votes for confirmation. See The Bulwark, ‘You Don’t Have the Votes’: How Trump Barred the Gaetz

If Trump were serious about forcing the Senate into an involuntary adjournment, he would not care whether Gaetz had the votes. The fact that Trump cared whether Gaetz had the votes for confirmation shows that Trump was bluffing about forcing recess appointments.

Every defeat suffered by Trump weakens the illusion that he is invincible. Part of Trump's bluffing strategy depends on the fiction that he is invincible. But every time Trump loses a battle, the illusion of his invincibility becomes weaker. That should give us hope in the battles over Hegseth, Kennedy, and Gabbard.

Trump has other corrupt and corruptible candidates to replace every nominee we defeat. That’s okay. Trump immediately replaced Gaetz with Pam Bondi, former Attorney General of Florida. Bondi supported Trump's claims that the 2020 election was rigged and dropped an investigation against Trump University’s fraudulent practices after Trump donated $25,000 to her campaign. See NYTimes, New Records Shed Light on Donald Trump’s $25,000 Gift to Florida Official. Per the Times,

[In September], a check for $25,000 from the Donald J. Trump Foundation landed in the Tampa office of a political action committee that had been formed to support Ms. Bondi’s 2014 re-election. In mid-October, her office announced that it would not be acting on the Trump University complaints.

There is no bottom to the supply of corrupt and corruptible Trump loyalists who can (and will) replace every corrupt and corruptible nominee or appointee who takes office in the Trump administration. That’s okay. The point is to resist, disrupt, and expose the corruption. We need to keep it up, every day!

As I replied to a friend who alerted me to Matt Gaetz’s announcement on Twitter that he was withdrawing, “One down. Fourteen to go.”

Will Matt Gaetz rejoin the House of Representatives? Maybe.

Matt Gaetz resigned from the 118th Congress, which ends on January 3, 2025 at 11:59 a.m.

Gaetz was elected to the new Congress (the 119th), which begins on January 3, 2025, at Noon.

In his letter of resignation, Gaetz said that he “does not intend” to take his seat in the 119th Congress. Saying that you “do not intend” to do something is not the same as a “resignation.”

What if Gaetz changes his mind and shows up on January 3, 2025, to be sworn into the 119th Congress? Gaetz could easily say, “I didn’t intend to be sworn into the 119th Congress because I thought I would be the Attorney General. That didn’t happen, so I changed my mind.”

If that happens, the answer to “What comes next isn’t clear.” See HuffPo, So, Matt Gaetz Won’t Be AG. Can He Go Back To Congress?

I don’t know what will happen. I am simply noting that Gaetz has a plausible path back to Congress—which would presumably resurrect the House Ethics investigation. Query whether that investigation would need to begin from scratch. The 118th Congress is not the 119th Congress.

New questions about Pete Hegseth emerge

On Thursday, news organizations obtained a copy of a police report investigating a reported sexual assault by Hegseth in 2017 at a conservative conference. See AP, Police report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth, Trump's pick for defense secretary. The police report is linked in the AP article. It contains graphic descriptions of the reported assault.

The conclusion of the report states, “I recommend this report be forwarded to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review.” That recommendation does not exonerate Hegseth, as he claimed in statements to the press on Thursday. See ABC News, Hegseth says he's 'completely cleared' in sex assault case. The police report doesn't say that.

Hegseth later entered into a non-disclosure agreement with the woman who reported the assault. Hegseth paid the woman an undisclosed amount of money to enter into the non-disclosure agreement. Hegseth’s attorney claims that the the woman “was the aggressor” and that she fabricated the story of rape in order to “save face” with her husband, who was staying at the hotel with his wife when the sexual assault took place.

More evidence will be gathered, including the investigation from local prosecutor to whom the case was referred for review. And since Hegseth has made public statements about the alleged assault despite the non-disclosure agreement, it may be that the woman he allegedly assaulted is free to speak to Senate investigators and the media.

The incident took place while Hegseth was in the middle of a divorce from his second wife and fathering a child with his then-girlfriend, who is now his third wife. If Hegseth was an active duty military officer at the time, it is likely he would have been discharged—possibly dishonorably.

Equally troubling are Hegseth’s public statements that express strong sympathy for white nationalist views and animosity toward fellow Americans who do not share those views. See Jonathan Chait in The Atlantic, Pete Hegseth Might Be Trump’s Most Dangerous Nominee.

Chait writes,

In his [Hegseth’s] three most recent books, Hegseth puts forward a wide range of familiarly misguided ideas: vaccines are “poisonous”; climate change is a hoax (they used to warn about global cooling, you know); George Floyd died of a drug overdose and was not murdered; the Holocaust was perpetrated by “German socialists.” [¶¶]

The Marxist conspiracy has also, according to Hegseth, begun creeping into the U.S. military, the institution he is now poised to run. His most recent book calls for a straightforward political purge of military brass who had the gall to obey Democratic administrations: “Fire any general who has carried water for Obama and Biden’s extraconstitutional and agenda-driven transformation of our military.” [¶¶]

In the most chilling passage of his three books, Hegseth declares his fellow citizens to be enemies:

The clearest through line of all three books is the application of Hegseth’s wartime mentality to his struggle against domestic opponents. American Crusade calls for the “categorical defeat of the Left,” with the goal of “utter annihilation,” without which “America cannot, and will not, survive.” Are the Crusades just a metaphor? Sort of, but not really: “Our American Crusade is not about literal swords, and our fight is not with guns. Yet.” (Emphasis—gulp—his.)

Hegseth bears tattoos that are associated with the white supremacist movement. He is unfit to serve in the military, much less serve as Secretary of Defense. Call your Senators to let them know how you feel about a man accused of rape (allegations he papered over with a non-disclosure agreement) and who views his fellow Americans as the enemy.

You can reach your Senators by entering your home state in the dialog box at U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators.

+

Women, in particular, are in disbelief that their fellow Americans did not rise to defend their status as full citizens under the Constitution. And after the reprehensible effort by the House to stigmatize trans people, everyone who is not straight, white, and in a same-sex marriage is understandably looking over their shoulder to see if the morality police are following them.

Yesterday, Heather Cox Richardson addressed an op-ed in the WSJ by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. See November 20, 2024 - by Heather Cox Richardson. The Musk-Ramaswamy op-ed distressed many readers. (See the Comments to Today’s Edition Newsletter date 10/21/24.)

Professor Richardson criticizes the Musk-Ramaswamy op-ed and planned “Department of Government Efficiency” in her usual professional, historical, and classy way—which is why she is a national treasure.

Me, not so much. I will say it directly: Musk and Ramaswamy are like a couple of twelve-year-old boys who know nothing about the world but are confident that they can make the world bend to their will because they are twelve-year-old boys who don’t know any better.

They have been put in charge of a fake “department” that can make recommendations that are dependent entirely on members of Congress—who will think twice about cutting two trillion dollars from programs that directly impact their constituents. To underscore this point, Musk has been on a diet of humble pie for over a week—repeatedly failing to persuade Trump and US Senators that Musk’s favorite candidates for the cabinet should be appointed. If Musk were a baseball player, his batting average would be perfect—0.000.

I am not saying that Trump will fail in his effort to cause chaos and inflict pain. He will do so intentionally and negligently in abundance. But the Dynamic Duds of Musk and his sidekick Vivek will be engaged in the equivalent of a kindergarten production of “Wheels on the Bus” while the adults are across town at the opera house watching Wagner’s Ring cycle.

Musk and Ramaswamy are designated psychological terrorists. Their purpose in the new administration is to issue baseless but ominous pronouncements that will garner press coverage and create the illusion that Trump is doing something. They will hold live hearings. Indeed, they will livestream them on Twitter so that Musk can fabricate viewer numbers that do not match reality. Musk and Ramaswamy will slap one another on the back as they congratulate themselves for the masterful production of “Wheels on the Bus.”

Their job is to upset us. Don’t let them. They are jesters in the classic sense of the word. Their job is to mollify the petulant and bored king. Do not let them fool and distract us. The real action is in the Oval Office and the Capitol. Let’s focus our resistance on those venues—which are ultimately accountable to the American people, as the Matt Gaetz withdrawal demonstrated today.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[medievalandfantasymelee]

THE HOT MEDIEVAL & FANTASY MEN MELEE

QUALIFYING ROUND: 119th Tilt

Prince John, Robin Hood (2010) VS. Willow Ufgood, Willow (2022)

Propaganda

Prince John, Robin Hood (2010) Portrayed by: Oscar Isaac

“I always love a hot villain, and how could he be otherwise when he's being played by a pre-breakout Oscar Isaac? He preens, he sneers, he's horny on main, what's not to like?”

Willow Ufgood, Willow (2022) Portrayed by: Warwick Davis

“I had a crush on Willow when I was a kid and when the tv series came out I was so thrilled to see him again! Warwick Davis does an excellent job portraying this world-worn sorcerer. Willow, in the series, is an example of what happens to a hero when things don't quite work out in the end. He still manages to rise from his funk and help the next generation! Plus, he has a flamethrower in one scene and it's hilarious.”

Additional Propaganda Under the Cut

Additional Propaganda

For Prince John:

For Willow Ufgood:

[tomorrowusa]

Matt Gaetz, Trump's former nominee for US Attorney General, is out of work. He resigned his House seat in the 118th Congress and won't take his seat in the 119th Congress.

So he needs some income to pay for typical expenses like food, housing, and hush money. For now, he's raising money by offering his services on Cameo.

The Florida Republican Matt Gaetz has made his first big move since withdrawing from consideration to be Donald Trump’s attorney general – by starting an account on Cameo, the website that lets ordinary people pay for video messages from celebrities, dubious or otherwise. The news website Semafor first reported the move on Friday. The revelation came a day after Gaetz withdrew from the confirmation process, under fire over a House ethics committee investigation of allegations of misconduct including allegedly paying an underage girl for sex – all of which Gaetz vehemently denies. “I served in Congress,” the page said, the past tense pointing to Gaetz’s resignation last week, pre-empting release of the ethics report, and announcement on Friday that he would not seek to return next year. “Trump nominated me to be US attorney general (that didn’t work out),” the page said. “Once I fired the House speaker.” [ ... ] Cameo offers users a chance to pay for messages to mark holidays, say happy birthday, send a pep talk, get advice, ask a question or, perhaps appealing to fans of Gaetz, to “roast someone” with pointed abuse. [ ... ] On Friday, Gaetz began by charging $250 a video but soon raised that price to $500. One social media user noted that Gaetz was thus charging “about the same rate as George Santos” – the serial fabulist, admitted fraudster and elected Republican who turned to Cameo amid the scandal that saw him expelled from Congress last year.

Making money by offering services online is not unusual. But in the case of Gaetz, OnlyFans seems like it would be a much better fit.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jospeh Gedeon at The Guardian:

Mike Johnson’s grip on the House speakership faces a crucial test on Friday, as mounting opposition from within his own Republican party threatens to derail his re-election bid, despite receiving an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump. With Republicans holding a razor-thin 219-215 majority in the House, Johnson can only afford to lose one vote – a threshold already reached after the Kentucky representative Thomas Massie publicly declared his intention to vote against the incumbent speaker. The 52-year-old Johnson, who ascended to the speakership weeks after the historic ousting of the California Republican Kevin McCarthy last year, finds himself caught between appeasing hardline conservatives and maintaining functional governance. His decisions to work with Democrats across the aisle for billions in Ukraine aid in the spring and on recent short-term government funding in December have simultaneously bothered both the party’s libertarian and right flank. “I don’t know how to say this without cussing,” Massie told reporters when asked about supporting Johnson. “If they thought I had no Fs to give before, I definitely have no Fs to give now.” Johnson had been able to secure and hold on to his position because Democrats backed him following McCarthy’s ouster. But should Johnson fail to secure a majority on the first ballot this time around, the House would again be thrown into a state of paralysis until a speaker is elected, as no other business can proceed without one. The brewing rebellion is holding fast even with Trump’s intervention. Despite offering his “Complete & Total Endorsement” of Johnson on Truth Social on Monday, and describing him as a “good, hard working, religious man”, the backing appears to have done little to cool general dissent among Republican holdouts.

While Trump was able to sway some Republicans, like one-time skeptic Texas representative Troy Nehls, other prominent noncommittal Republicans remain, including the Arizona representative Andy Biggs, Pennsylvania’s Scott Perry and Chip Roy of Texas. The chair of the hard-right House Freedom caucus, Andy Harris of Maryland, and Tennessee representative Tim Burchett are also still undecided, according to Axios. And notably silent is the Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert, who last May reasoned that “it makes no difference to me” who becomes House speaker because, she said, Democrats get their agenda passed in either scenario. The Indiana Republican Victoria Spartz demanded “assurances [Johnson] won’t sell us out to the swamp” in a post on X before pledging her support. The South Carolina Republican Ralph Norman echoed that sentiment, telling Axios a growing number of Republicans were asking for promises on spending cuts.

Tomorrow is the opening day of the 119th session of Congress with a very slim GOP majority, and there will be a Speaker vote before any other business is taken care of.

Incumbent House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), endorsed by Donald Trump, is running for the spot again, but will he get elected on the first go? Or will he go through what former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy went through that took 15 rounds? Or despite Trump’s endorsement, he gets replaced by a different Republican? Stay tuned.

In the wrapped up 118th Congress, it took 15 votes to get a Speaker elected to start the term, in which McCarthy prevailed.

See Also:

NOTUS: Trump Is Coming to Mike Johnson’s Aid. It Might Not Matter.

[starlight-blackbird]

MEET THE 119TH CLONE SQUADRON

The 119th Attack Squadron is perhaps the most chaotic, ragtag bunch of soldiers fighting in the Clone War. Made up of eight fresh-out-of-training shinies who were all desperate to prove themselves in their own ways, a corporal with a slightly maniacal laugh and a penchant for violence, and a battle-hardened sergeant and medic who were betrayed by the Jedi general they used to serve under, this mixed group of clone troopers was destined from the beginning to be a challenge for any Jedi assigned to lead them.

Apollo Eupheria was fairly certain he was not cut out to be that Jedi. For the Force’s sake, he was only a Knight, not a Master, and he’d been working in the Temple Library when the Council had suddenly decided to “grant” him command of a unit. Admittedly he had gotten some training from Master Kenobi on battle techniques and how to properly lead a clone unit, so it wasn’t like the Council was throwing him in blind, but he was far from stupid. He knew the main reason they were doing this was because of his old Master, because they felt bad about how horrifically she’d died and how grief-stricken he had clearly been about it. Sure, he did have some pretty significant skill in the Force (not nearly on Anakin Skywalker’s level, but he was good), but that didn’t change the fact that the Council’s main motivation had been pity, and he hated that.

Still, no matter what the Jedi Council was thinking when they decided to give Apollo command of the 119th, he is now responsible for all of them: Corporal Ripper, with his terrifying fighting style and only slightly less terrifying laugh; Makeshift, who delights in pulling pranks that make his brothers furious; Verbal, who lives up to his name with his quick wit and endless ramblings; Pyxis, the new squadron’s long-suffering medic who can never decide if he loves his brothers or wants to kill them out of exasperation; Seeker, the squadron’s sniper with a keen eye for targets and whoever won’t punch him in the face for flirting; Nim, the freshest one of the bunch off Kamino, who would much rather be painting than going to battle; the self-named “twins,” Sunbeam and Raindrop, who live up to their names fairly well; Whisper, the mostly-silent one who has been through a mysterious trauma none but he and Pyxis know about; Slim, the always-hearty, ever-loyal solider and brother who is always ready with a loud tavern ballad; and, most confusing of all, Sergeant Shadow, Apollo’s second-in-command, who refuses to trust another Jedi after his and Pyxis’s former general betrayed the Republic and nearly killed them, but whose amber eyes make Apollo unable to look away any time he looks into them.

And so there is the 119th Squadron - a group of absolute disasters, bonded together by duty, brotherhood, and the horrors of galactic warfare. Apollo is still completely unsure how he is ever supposed to properly lead these men, but as the Clone War rages and more and more danger comes to light on both sides of it, he will ultimately learn quickly how to keep his batch of courageous idiots alive, form a sort of odd little family with these men he would trust with his life… and possibly fall in love with his amber-eyed sergeant in the process.

Tagging @loverswillowed!!

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up March 10-13, 2023

Under the cut:

Russia and the United Nations have agreed to a 60-day extension of the Ukraine grain deal after negotiations in Geneva, Russian state news agency RIA reported on Monday.

Fierce fighting rages over central Bakhmut as Russia’s Wagner mercenaries try to break through Ukrainian defenses in the ruined city, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on March 13. Syrskyi, who commands Ukraine’s Ground Forces and made two known visits to Bakhmut in recent weeks, acknowledged that the situation in the embattled city remained difficult as Russia continued to press forward.

Ukrainian intelligence officials have officially confirmed the identity of the prisoner of war who shouted, "Glory to Ukraine!" before he was executed in a video that was widely circulated on social media. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) determined he was a sniper with the 163rd Battalion of the 119th Separate Tank Brigade of the Chernihiv Region, Oleksandr Ihorovych Matsiyevsky. CNN earlier reported that Matsiyevsky's loved ones and his commander had recognized him as the man in the clip.

Three civilians were killed in Russian shelling of Kherson in southern Ukraine on Saturday, and another died in Donetsk, regional officials said. Reuters reported the governor of Kherson oblast, Oleksandr Prokudin, as saying three people, including an elderly woman, had also been wounded.

Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers on Monday wrapped up a four-week training in Spain on how to operate the Leopard 2A4 battle tank, of which Madrid is set to deliver six mothballed units to Kyiv this spring. A total of 40 tank crew members and 15 mechanical specialists underwent training on their use at a military base in the northeastern city of Zaragoza, Spain’s armed forces said in a statement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to travel to Russia to meet his counterpart Vladimir Putin as soon as next week, people familiar with the matter said, which would be sooner than previously expected. Plans for a visit come as China has been offering to broker peace in Ukraine, an effort that has been met with scepticism in the West given Beijing's diplomatic support for Russia.

“Russia and the United Nations have agreed to a 60-day extension of the Ukraine grain deal after negotiations in Geneva, Russian state news agency RIA reported on Monday.

"Our Russian interdepartmental delegation has just completed another round of talks with UN representatives led by UNCTAD Secretary General R. Greenspan and OCHA head M. Griffiths,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said at a briefing on Monday, according to RIA.

The diplomat added Moscow had agreed to extend the current grain deal, which lasts until March 18, for an additional 60 days.

"But just for 60 days,” Vershinin said. “Any further grain policy will depend on actual —based on not what's said but what's done — progress on the normalization of our agricultural exports, including bank payments, transport logistics, insurance, unfreezing of financial activities and the continuation of ammonia supply through the Tolyatti-Odessa pipeline.”

Why are grain exports so important? Ukraine and Russia are both significant suppliers of food to the world. Before the war, Ukraine – known as one of the globe’s breadbaskets – would export around three-quarters of the grain it produces. According to data from the European Commission, about 90% of these exports were shipped by sea, from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The war and its impact on grain exports therefore has major implications, particularly in the global South which relies heavily on them.”-via CNN

~

“Fierce fighting rages over central Bakhmut as Russia’s Wagner mercenaries try to break through Ukrainian defenses in the ruined city, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on March 13.

Syrskyi, who commands Ukraine’s Ground Forces and made two known visits to Bakhmut in recent weeks, acknowledged that the situation in the embattled city remained difficult as Russia continued to press forward.

The commander said that the Wagner members were storming into central Bakhmut from multiple fronts, but Ukraine still held on to the “fortress” while inflicting “significant losses” on the invading forces.

“All enemy attempts to capture the city are repelled by artillery, tanks, and other firepower," Syrskyi said, as quoted by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's media center.

Syrskyi’s statement comes amid an eight-month-long battle over Bakhmut, a largely destroyed city nearly emptied of its 70,000 residents. Russia has intensified its offensive on Bakhmut in recent weeks as it captured neighboring settlements, inching its way into encircling the city.

Late on March 12, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a Telegram post that his mercenaries began storming into the underground compound of the Artemivskyi non-ferrous metal processing plant, also known as AZOM, in northern Bakhmut.

Neither Ukraine nor Russia officially commented on the situation at the plant on March 13.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a D.C.-based think-tank analyzing the war in Ukraine, said on March 12 that the Russian military leadership could be trying to expend the Wagner forces and Prigozhin’s influence in Bakhmut.

The ISW has earlier reported that Wagner’s committed elite forces in Bakhmut may be running out as the paramilitary group uses up its manpower to maintain offensive momentum.

Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Eastern Military Command, said on March 11 that Ukraine seeks to degrade Wagner forces during its defense of Bakhmut.

He added that Ukraine has already “thinned out” the second formation of Wagner’s recruited prisoners over the winter, and Ukraine has “a real chance” of degrading Wagner if it keeps up the pace.

As fierce battles raged in the east and south of Ukraine, civilian casualties continued to be reported.

The President’s Office said on March 13 that Russian troops launched two missiles at a school in Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, killing a woman.

To the northeast, the Russians launched a missile strike on the village of Znob-Novhorodske in Sumy Oblast, killing at least one and wounding four, according to the President’s Office.

On the southern front, the Russians fired upon energy workers in a liberated area of Kherson Oblast, wounding one person, the regional military administration said.”-via Kyiv Independent

~

“Ukrainian intelligence officials have officially confirmed the identity of the prisoner of war who shouted, "Glory to Ukraine!" before he was executed in a video that was widely circulated on social media.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) determined he was a sniper with the 163rd Battalion of the 119th Separate Tank Brigade of the Chernihiv Region, Oleksandr Ihorovych Matsiyevsky. CNN earlier reported that Matsiyevsky's loved ones and his commander had recognized him as the man in the clip.

The SBU came to the conclusion after communicating with the sniper's family and comrades-in-arms, as well as processing photo and video materials, officials said.

"This is a true Hero who, even looking into the face of death, demonstrated to the whole world what Ukrainian character and invincibility are," said SBU Head Vasyl Malyuk in a statement on their website. "It is these defenders who are defending our land today, which means that the enemy will definitely be defeated. Because Ukraine's Great Victory is made up of the heroic deeds of people like Oleksandr Matsiyevsky. Glory to the hero! Glory to the heroes! Glory to Ukraine!" Matsiyevsky was called for military service in March 2022. Since the end of December, he was reported missing near the village of Krasna Hora in the eastern Donetsk region, according to the SBU. The sniper was shot dead on December 30. His body was returned home in February.

The SBU said it is working to identify the Russian military personnel involved in the execution, and investigating the killing under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war).

Officials in Kyiv, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, have roundly condemned the sniper's on-camera slaying as a war crime.”-via CNN

~

“Three civilians were killed in Russian shelling of Kherson in southern Ukraine on Saturday, and another died in Donetsk, regional officials said.

Reuters reported the governor of Kherson oblast, Oleksandr Prokudin, as saying three people, including an elderly woman, had also been wounded .

“Today the Russian occupiers have hit Kherson again, on Mykolayivsky road near a shop, debris from a shell killed three people,” he told Ukrainian TV.

Ukraine recaptured Kherson in November after nearly eight months of occupation by Russian forces who seized it soon after the start of their invasion. The area is now under almost constant bombardment from Russian forces on the opposite side of the Dnieper river.

The Donetsk regional governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said one person had been killed and at least three injured in the city of Kostyantynivka after several rounds of Russian shelling during the day.”-via The Guardian

~

“Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers on Monday wrapped up a four-week training in Spain on how to operate the Leopard 2A4 battle tank, of which Madrid is set to deliver six mothballed units to Kyiv this spring.

A total of 40 tank crew members and 15 mechanical specialists underwent training on their use at a military base in the northeastern city of Zaragoza, Spain’s armed forces said in a statement.

“It has been intense,” Spanish trainer Captain Contreras - who identified himself only by his rank and surname - told reporters, who were allowed access to the drills for the first time.

Contreras said the Ukrainians would be returning home “with a very acceptable knowledge” of the Leopards.

“Although the tanks were different, there were many systems that coincide and that has made things much easier. With that, together with the motivation that the personnel brought and their desire to learn, we see them very well prepared to resume combat.”

One of the Ukrainian soldiers being trained had a patch on a sleeve sporting the slogan “Freedom or Death” underneath the Ukrainian flag.”-via The Guardian

~

“Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to travel to Russia to meet his counterpart Vladimir Putin as soon as next week, people familiar with the matter said, which would be sooner than previously expected.

Plans for a visit come as China has been offering to broker peace in Ukraine, an effort that has been met with scepticism in the West given Beijing's diplomatic support for Russia.

Putin said last month that a Xi visit had been agreed, though the Kremlin chief gave no date for a possible visit. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that a visit to Moscow could take place in April or early May.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the possibility of Xi going to Moscow.

When asked about the Reuters report, the Kremlin said it had nothing to say on the matter.

"As a rule, announcements of official foreign visits are coordinated synchronously by mutual agreement of the parties," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

"When there is such readiness, we will let you know."

No other details were immediately available.

The sources briefed on the matter declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the issue.

Last month, Putin hosted China's top diplomat Wang Yi on a visit to Moscow. One source said that Wang's trip to Moscow was to help prepare for Xi's visit.

China and Russia struck a "no limits" partnership in February of 2022, when Putin was visiting Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics, weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine. The two sides have continued to reaffirm the strength of their ties.

Xi has met Putin in person 39 times since becoming president, most recently in September during a summit in central Asia.

On Monday, Xi wrapped up the annual session of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, during which he was unanimously confirmed in a precedent-breaking third term as president.”-via Reuters

[bllsbailey]

Sen. Cruz Tapped to Head Powerful Commerce Committee

Sen. Ted Cruz has been ratified to chair the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and says he plans to use the role to focus on job creation and economic growth.

“With jurisdiction over 40% of the United States economy, the Senate Commerce Committee sits at the nexus of America’s most critical industries," the Texas Republican said in a statement.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the first Texan chairman of this storied committee," he added. "My top priority in this role remains the same as it has throughout my entire career in the Senate: pursuing policies that will create jobs and spur economic growth."

The committee will be focused on several priorities, including "expanding commercial access to the electromagnetic spectrum, boosting human and commercial space exploration, improving the safety and efficiency of our nation’s transportation system, ensuring the future and viability of college athletics, and much more," Cruz said.

"I look forward to continuing to work with Ranking Member [Maria] Cantwell and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground and deliver results that will make a difference in the daily lives of the American people," the chairman added.

Three new Republican members are joining the committee: Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah; Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio; and Tim Sheehy, R-Mont.

Several other GOP senators will continue serving on the committee. They are Sens. John Thune, R-S.D.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Ted Budd, R-N.C.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V.; and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.

Three new Democrats are also joining the committee for the 119th Congress: Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.; Andy Kim, D-N.J.; and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del.

Democrats remaining on the committee are Cantwell, D-Wash., its former chair, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii; Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Gary Peters, D-Mich.; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.; and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo. 

Cruz previously served as the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee in the 118th Congress and is an active member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Judiciary Committee, and Rules Committee. 

He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School and went on to serve as a law clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist and as solicitor general of Texas. He was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and was reelected in 2018 and 2024.

The Senate Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over several legislative issues, including aviation, transportation security, the Coast Guard, oceans, weather, science, space, interstate commerce, consumer issues, economic development, technology, and telecommunications. 

In addition, the committee is also responsible for oversight of several federal agencies and review of executive branch nominations.

Sandy Fitzgerald ✉

Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics. 

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

[versatileer]

2025 U.S. Government – January 6th

2025 U.S. Government We are in the midst of having the Presidential election certified today. The Final 2024 General Election results leads to a unified government on a Federal level! Last week Friday we had the 119th Congress swear House Speaker Mike Johnson, and the Senate is ready to make appointing of Executive Branch Cabinet members starting this week. See you on January 20th at noon…

[wishingforatypewriter]

🎫 Erik x Sumire? For old times sake. I miss them and your SNS OC's

Hi there! Thanks for the ask! It makes me so happy to know someone out there is still thinking about these characters! I'm honestly struggling to remember what I have and haven't already written about when it comes to those two, so I apologize if this ends up being a repeat.

The ring Erik proposes to Sumire with is the same engagement ring Soe gave to Leonora years ago. It's been in the Nakiri family for a few generations, and it ends up going really well with Sumire's classic fashion sense. Erik's grandparents happily gave it to him for this purpose because they adore Sumire and wanted to welcome her into the family.

[swldx]

Voice of America 0414 4 Jan 2024

9775Khz 0358 4 JAN 2024 - VOICE OF AMERICA (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) in ENGLISH from MOPENG HILL. SINPO = 55233. English, "VoA One" Music in progress. @0400z "Worldwide News Update" anchored by Alexis Strope. § U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson retained the speakership in a first-round ballot Friday, as the 119th Congress came into session. Johnson won 218 votes, just enough to keep his job. Both the House and the Senate enter the new session with Republicans in the majority, the party having taken control from Democrats in the Senate. In that chamber, Senator Mitch McConnell has stepped away from party leadership for the first time in 18 years. Senator John Thune already has been selected to replace him as majority leader. § In an extraordinary turn, a judge Friday set President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing in his hush money case for Jan. 10, just 10 days before he's due to return to the White House, but indicated he wouldn't be jailed. The development nevertheless leaves Trump on course to be the first president to take office convicted of felony crimes. Judge Juan M. Merchan, who presided over Trump’s trial, signaled in a written decision that he'd sentence the former and future president to what's known as a conditional discharge, in which a case is closed without jail time, a fine or probation. § A Finnish court on Friday denied a request for the release of an oil tanker suspected by police of damaging an undersea power line and four telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea last week. Finland on Dec. 26 seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil on suspicion that it damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and the telecoms cables the previous day by dragging its anchor across the seabed. § Alcoholic drinks should carry a warning about cancer risks on their label, the U.S. surgeon general said Friday in a move that could signal a shift toward more aggressive tobacco-style regulation for the sector. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said alcohol consumption increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colon and liver cancer, but most U.S. consumers remain unaware of this. § President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will make his final visit to India next week to emphasize Washington's partnership with New Delhi, the White House announced Friday. The visit will cap the Biden administration's efforts to maximize ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, in its strategic focus to counter China's influence in the Indo-Pacific. Strengthening ties with India has been a "real foreign policy priority and area of legacy achievement for the Biden administration," a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity in a briefing to reporters Friday. @0405z "VoA One" continues , DJ'd by "DJ Lady". Backyard gutter antenna w/MFJ-1020C active antenna (used as a preamplifier/preselector), JRC NRD-535D, 100kW, beamAz 350°, bearing 84°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 14087KM from transmitter at Mopeng Hill. Local time: 2158.

[yetisidelblog]

President-elect Trump, and his anti-science allies who want to implement Project 2025, are already working with corporate polluters to intimidate scientists and sideline science, endangering communities, people, and the planet.

Please join science supporters, scientists, and experts in signing an open letter asking Congress to stand up against attempts to politicize or eliminate scientific roles, agencies, and federal research that protect our health, environment, and our communities.

With your help we will work to limit political attacks on government scientists and experts, stop suppression of scientific research, fight unqualified science agency nominations, and defend against other anti-science action in the Project 2025 agenda.

When science and scientists are sidelined, people get hurt—add your name to the open letter today.

This letter is open to all US residents and Americans working abroad. The Union of Concerned Scientists will share this powerful statement on Friday, January 3, with members of Congress, opinion leaders, journalists, and others who will be charged with holding the Trump administration accountable for respecting the role of science in policymaking.

Learn more about the Save Science, Save Lives campaign.

Science for the Public Good: An Open Letter to the 119th Congress

I am asking you to defend the science and scientists that keep Americans safe. The Trump administration's current agenda promises to eviscerate the protections that Americans count on and support: clean air and water; safe food and medicine; products that won't harm us; and protection from extreme weather and other damaging effects of climate change. Without strong federal science, people will suffer, and historically marginalized communities will continue to bear the burden of these harms.

Independent science can inform strong public policy that puts the health, safety and welfare of Americans first. Protecting rigorous and independent science is a common-sense, nonpartisan goal.

The reason behind the Trump administration's radical proposals to sideline science and scientists is crystal clear: science stands in the way of polluters and special interests unleashing unprecedented amounts of pollution that would put short-term profits over people, no matter the cost to current and future generations of Americans.

The first 100 days of the Trump administration will be absolutely essential for taking action that can save science that saves lives. Science supporters in your district and state are mobilizing to fight back and prevent the politicization of science and firing of scientists who help protect our families and communities.

As a constituent and supporter of the Union of Concerned Scientists, I am asking for you to take the First 100 Days Pledge for Science:

First, oppose anti-science nominees to any federal agency who do not agree on the record to follow and/or implement a scientific integrity policy in their agency.

Second, oppose the elimination of federal agencies or their staff directly or indirectly including through draconian budget cuts, reclassifying staff, or abruptly moving agency headquarters, all of which are a transparent and explicit effort to decimate scientific expertise and decision-making.

Third, defend the safeguards that protect the health and safety of people across the United States, especially those overburdened by pollution. This includes the nation's bedrock public health and environmental laws—such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act—that are and must continue to be based on the best available independent science.

This is a critical time to show the administration that members of Congress of both parties are united in championing the science that helps protect the communities they represent. I am asking for your support.

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[abigailspinach]

Top aides to Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Ocasio-Cortez appeared to be leaning into a bid for the Oversight job Wednesday.

“I’m certainly interested in the position. I’m having a lot of conversations with my colleagues,” she said. “And, you know, I think it’s incredibly important that we prepare ourselves fully for an incoming Trump administration, as well as fighting for everyday working Americans.”

She added that she has nothing but “tremendous respect and admiration for Gerry Connolly.”

“He’s just an absolutely fantastic leader, and I think we both bring assets to the committee, which is a big part of why the committee's been effective. I love Gerry," she said.

Connolly told reporters Wednesday that a potential race against Ocasio-Cortez would present a stark choice for Democratic colleagues: He said he has much more experience. He was first elected to Congress in 2008; she achieved political fame by knocking off Joe Crowley, of New York, then the Democratic caucus chairman in a primary in 2018.

But Connolly also is dealing with health issues. Shortly after last month’s election, he announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus.

"To me it's not generational. It's about experience and record and capability, and that's how I've got to present it," Connolly told reporters Wednesday. "And she's a new talent and has a lot of promise, but I'm the only one in the race ... who, in fact, has [led] a subcommittee. I think that's really important."

The Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is closely aligned with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is planning to make recommendations for committee leaders later this month. After that, all 215 House Democrats who will serve in the new Congress will vote on who they want as their committee leaders for the 119th Congress. 

[bullrentalsandiego]

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[justinspoliticalcorner]

Martin Pengelly at The Guardian:

Matt Gaetz, the former Florida representative who this week withdrew from consideration to be US attorney general under Donald Trump, said on Friday he would not seek to return to Congress.

“I’m still going to be in the fight but it’s going to be from a new perch,” Gaetz told the rightwing podcaster and radio host Charlie Kirk. “I do not intend to join the 119th Congress.” Gaetz is a dedicated far-right controversialist and staunch Trump loyalist who last year played a key role in the removal of Republican Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, the first such move ever orchestrated by a speaker’s own party. Picked for attorney general during a plane ride with Trump, Gaetz was seen as likely to carry out the president-elect’s agenda of revenge on his political enemies and pardons for allies, including those convicted over the deadly 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Trump who sought in vain to overturn his 2020 loss to Joe Biden. Gaetz swiftly resigned his US House seat, which he had held for nearly three full terms on Capitol Hill.

Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will NOT be returning to Congress. Could being a right-wing media pundit be next on his job list? Or could it be in the 2nd Trump Administration in a different role? Stay tuned.