barticus @BartCalvert

Lifted from Facebook. Courtesy of Chris Moe: As an American, this is getting harder and harder to watch. It's embarrassing, to say the least. But it's also becoming pretty damn clear that our traitor-in-chief has no intention of standing up to Vladimir Putin. Now we're hearing that Trump is willing to sit down with the leaders of Russia and China to discuss Ukraine, apparently without Ukraine even being at the table. Think about that for a minute. Three men sitting around discussing what they're going to do with somebody else's country. One of them is the dictator who invaded it, another has been helping keep Russia's war machine running, and the third is our president. And we're supposed to believe this is about peace? I suspect Trump will come away with some sort of agreement involving rare earth minerals or other valuable resources. Maybe another opportunity for his son to make a fortune. And there's a damn good reason to be suspicious. Donald Trump Jr. is a partner in 1789 Capital, an investment firm that put money into Vulcan Elements, a company manufacturing rare-earth magnets. Just months after that investment, the Pentagon announced a $620 million loan commitment to the company. And according to ProPublica, the White House helped push that deal through. So when I suggest Trump might be looking for another deal to benefit his family, I'm not pulling that suspicion out of thin air. Meanwhile, Ukraine could end up surrendering a third of its territory to Russia. And Trump will probably call it the greatest peace agreement in history. But what happens if Ukraine refuses? Is Trump going to threaten to cut off whatever assistance we're still providing? Or will he eventually threaten to join Putin in bombing the hell out of Ukraine? That is, assuming he has any bombs left. While these three men discuss the future of Ukraine, people are dying. Russian missiles are destroying homes, hospitals, power plants, and entire neighborhoods. Children are being killed. Families are being buried under the rubble of their own homes. Millions have been driven from their communities. Just this week, Russian attacks left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without essential services. And Ukraine says the United States failed to provide warnings ahead of some Russian missile strikes. What the hell are we doing? And let's stop pretending Trump's relationship with Russia started when he decided to run for president. His connections go back decades. In 1986, he met Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin. In 1987, Trump traveled to Moscow looking for business opportunities with the Soviet government. During the 1990s, he continued pursuing Russian real estate deals. By the 2000s, he was involved with developers and businessmen with Russian connections, including Felix Sater and the Bayrock Group. That doesn't prove Putin has something on Trump. But it certainly gives us plenty of reasons to question a relationship that has followed him through decades of business and politics. And now, after everything Putin has done, Trump continues treating him like someone we should trust. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia is bombing Ukrainian cities. Russia is killing Ukrainian civilians. Yet somehow Trump keeps finding reasons to criticize Ukraine and excuse Russia. We used to stand against dictators who invaded neighboring countries and murdered innocent people. Now we have a president who appears more interested in making deals with them than stopping them. And I have to wonder how much of Ukraine Trump is willing to sacrifice to keep Putin happy. A third? Half? All of it? How many more Ukrainians have to die while Trump plays businessman with a dictator? This is embarrassing. It's disgusting. And it's a betrayal of everything America once claimed to stand for. We Are the Broken Republic.

🇺🇸🇺🇦 THE UNITED STATES HAS BLOCKED EUROPE FROM TRANSFERRING PATRIOT MISSILES TO UKRAINE. EVEN THOSE ALREADY PAID FOR. EVEN THOSE EUROPE PROMISED YESTERDAY. Trump has not merely stopped American weapons deliveries, even when Ukraine and Europe are willing to pay. His administration has reportedly blocked European countries from transferring their own Patriot interceptors to Ukraine. Because these missiles are manufactured in the United States, their transfer to a third country requires Washington's approval. On Friday, October 16, following discussions with European leaders, President Volodymyr Zelensky stood in Brussels and explained that Europe possessed enough PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles to help Ukraine survive the winter. “All the leaders have this package,” he said. Ukraine was asking for the minimum necessary to survive another winter of Russian attacks. European leaders agreed to help. But on Monday, October 19, The Washington Post reportedly revealed that the Trump administration had not authorized the transfer. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had not signed the necessary approval. Understand what this means. We are not talking about new American missiles taken from Pentagon warehouses. We are talking about interceptors that Greece, Spain, and other European countries were reportedly prepared to release from their own military stockpiles. Weapons already purchased and paid for, waiting to be delivered. Why can't Europe simply hand them over? Because Patriot is an American weapons system, manufactured by companies including RTX and Lockheed Martin. Under American export regulations, transferring these weapons to another country generally requires Washington's authorization. This rule has always existed. But now, according to these reports, it is being used as a stranglehold. Ukraine has a critically limited supply of operational interceptors, and Trump knows it. A source in Kyiv reportedly told The Washington Post that even before the latest restrictions, monthly deliveries had fallen to just 12 missiles, approximately one-quarter of their previous volume. Meanwhile, Trump continues publicly humiliating Ukraine. “Maybe it's time for Zelensky to find somebody else to negotiate with,” he reportedly told journalists on Monday. Zelensky has become an obstacle for both Trump and Putin because he refuses to surrender his country's future. Some Western and even Ukrainian politicians are now suggesting that Zelensky should be more accommodating toward Trump, avoid upsetting Washington, and hope that weapons deliveries resume. This is astonishingly naive. Anyone who has experienced real intimidation understands that appeasing a bully does not necessarily make him stop. A gangster interprets concessions as weakness and immediately demands more. That is why Zelensky's firm response matters. Ukraine is an independent nation, not a helpless subordinate begging for permission to exist. Its president has every right to defend its sovereignty and dignity rather than submit to political intimidation. Hegseth does not sign the authorization. Trump suggests Ukraine needs another president. European-owned missile interceptors remain unable to move without American approval. And meanwhile, Russia continues killing Ukrainian civilians, including children. Putin deliberately attacks power substations and energy infrastructure as winter approaches, attempting to make entire cities uninhabitable. Without electricity, heating, or running water, hundreds of thousands of people could face life-threatening conditions. These missiles are not political bargaining chips. They are the difference between intercepting a Russian ballistic missile and watching another Ukrainian apartment building collapse with families inside. Europe is prepared to help. Ukraine desperately needs that help.And Washington's refusal to authorize these transfers,if confirmed, would carry consequences measured not merely in diplomatic disagreements, but in human lives.

A horrific Russian strike in the Kharkiv region. A “shahed” struck people directly – in a park near an ordinary café. Pure atrocity. Six people were killed, including children. A little girl was killed in a stroller – her name was Angelina, she was just over a year old, born in August 2025… Her mother’s name was Inna. She died in the hospital… Another girl who was killed was 11 years old. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Another 14 people were injured, including six more children. I am grateful to everyone who supports Ukraine under these circumstances and helps us shoot down “shaheds,” shoot down missiles, and stop Russian assaults. These are horrific photos, but behind them are shattered lives and the truth about this war. Lives must be protected. Ukraine needs air defense. You can't think about making money with Russia as long as it continues its asinine war. We ask that sanctions on Russia stay in place as long as the killings continue. We ask America to be strong, and we ask it to apply the Lindsey Graham law. We ask Europe to continue its support. We ask that everything possible be done to bring peace and guarantee security. Ukraine wants peace. It is Russia that has insisted on continuing the killing all this time. The world has enough strength to stop the war. That strength must finally be used – against the murderers.

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You can donate here to help protect Ukrainians from Russian drone attacks. Please do so if you can. u24.gov.ua/sky-defense

🇬🇪🇪🇺Day 691 of continuous protests in Georgia. 📸MO SE #GeorgiaProtests

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@Immy_220 one. everyone else jumped out the window

@JR1726100247720 @VALMICHEL7 every president post WWII and before will be rolling over in their graves (except the living ones of course).

The 647th consecutive day of protests in Georgia. 🇬🇪🇪🇺🇺🇦

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@KatyKray73 @grok is this true?

The heartbreaking story of two young sisters who protested in Iran and were reportedly sexually assaulted in detention. Twin sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi were just 20 years old. One dreamed of opening her own equestrian club. The other worked in a shoe shop. Today, one is facing execution. The other has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. The sisters, from Isfahan, were arrested in the middle of the night. Security forces broke into their home, tied their hands and feet, put bags over their heads, and took them away. For four months, no one knew where they were. Their mother spent night after night searching outside courthouses, prisons, and hospitals, desperate to find her daughters. When she finally saw them in Dowlatabad Prison, both had bruised and swollen faces. Parts of their hair had fallen out or had reportedly been ripped out. Taraneh said that while held in solitary confinement, she could hear her sister screaming and crying as she was tortured. Interrogators repeatedly struck Taraneh’s previously operated knee and threatened to sexually assault her sister if she refused to sign forced confessions. According to Taraneh, a prison medical official told her: “You’re going to die anyway. What difference does it make whether you die with a broken leg or a healthy one?” A complaint alleging sexual assault during detention was formally filed. Yet the court did not hold even a single hearing to investigate the allegation. Instead, the two sisters and other defendants in the case were handed death sentences and decades-long prison terms. Confessions extracted under torture. Lawyers given just ten minutes to review an 8,000-page case file. A judge who insulted the defendants more than 20 times during the proceedings. Two young irani women had dreams and that is why they joined the January uprising to demand Freedom. Now one faces the gallows and the other could spend the best years of her life behind bars. Be their voice. #TaranehRahimi #RominaRahimi

@Zara_588 is it the african american woman sitting in a whites only cafe?

@wealthmoose Snake oil salesman

Tot ziens Kyiv🇺🇦! Terug naar het veilige NL. Al 55 uur onafgebroken jet Shaheds. Het luchtalarm is 21x afgegaan. Ik ben de tel kwijt. Gewekt door inslagen, explosies en luchtafweer. Boycot alles wat russisch is, wat met rusland verbonden is en alles of iedereen die er zaken doet.

Our stubborn #GeorgiaProtests 📷 MOSE

The 639th consecutive day of protests in Georgia. This is Shio. He and his family became pen pals with a political prisoner, Davit Koldar—orphaned as a child, with no family of his own and nowhere to go. When Davit finished his two-year sentence and was released, Shio's family took him in. Shio and Davit are now inseparable. 📷 Mo Se

Yesterday a damaged Russian Gerbera drone was circling helplessly over Odesa after being hit by an interceptor. The Yak-52 crew from the 11th Army Aviation Brigade “Kherson” had it locked but refused to open fire over a populated city. They tracked it patiently until the wind dragged it clear, then ground teams finished the job. We need more of these aircraft in the fight. Right now we’re raising funds for a new engine to bring another Yak-52 into the anti-drone hunt with these brave crews. https://t.

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have canceled their planned trip to Kyiv because of “heavy russian air strikes on the city.” Witkoff and Kushner have traveled to Moscow eight times for meetings with Putin. But when it comes to visiting Kyiv, russian air strikes suddenly make the trip too dangerous. Meanwhile, presidents and prime ministers from a dozen European countries have visited Kyiv over the past several days — despite those very same russian attacks. This tells you something important about American diplomacy under Trump. For months, we have been told that Witkoff and Kushner are trying to broker peace between russia and Ukraine. Yet the people supposedly acting as intermediaries repeatedly travel to Moscow, meet with Putin, listen to russia’s demands - and cannot even bring themselves to travel to the capital of the country russia is invading. You cannot understand this war by visiting Moscow eight times and Kyiv zero times. And you certainly cannot be an honest broker if you are willing to sit comfortably across the table from the aggressor but are too afraid to visit the victim because the aggressor might bomb you. European leaders are showing what solidarity looks like. Washington is showing what cowardliness and complacency look like.

FUKUYAMA: I want to make a comment about US credibility. Trump canceled a major exercise with South Korea. He did this because he thinks he has great relationship with Kim Jong Un, whom he feels is a reasonable leader. North Korea has done nothing to earn this kind of approval. North Korea is actively supplying tens of thousands of troops to help Russians defeat Ukraine. North Korea has continued to build its ballistic and nuclear capabilities throughout entire period that Trump has been in power. North Korea is part of this alliance of dictatorships that has really shown no interest in actual negotiated peaceful outcomes. What this does for South Korea is pretty terrible. Because it demonstrates that the fact that South Korea is major economic power and major regional military power makes no difference to this administration. Which is simply going to act in the most short-term way possible.

Day 634 of daily, uninterrupted protests in Georgia. The regulars—and William, the crazy neighborhood dog who defends them against all evil, from passing cars to undercover officers unconvincingly pretending to be pedestrians.

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Slava Ukraini! Now in the streets of Tbilisi. The 635th consecutive day of protests in Georgia.