President Maia Sandu just notched her third win against the Kremlin: first her own re-election, then a referendum locking EU membership into Moldova’s constitution, and yesterday keeping her pro-Europe party ahead in parliament. All this in defiance of Putin’s intense efforts to knock her down.
- Harvard-trained economist, government reformer
- Ousted Putin-ally Igor Dodon in 2020, stunning Moscow
- Survived nonstop disinfo campaigns and cyberattacks
- Turned EU membership into a constitutional mission statement
- Party of Action and Solidarity now projected to keep control of parliament
- Reduced Russian energy leverage and digital influence networks
- Stands up to oligarchs tied to Kremlin money
- Navigating fragile politics — EU referendum passed just above 50%
- Seen as a symbol of Eastern Europe’s democratic resilience
- Proof that Moscow’s “sphere of influence” can vote itself out — and keep it that way
things are looking up with news like Moldova’s election and Dodo”s recent turnaround.
Attribution: Trump’s U-turn on Ukraine by John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune, PA
and on other fronts
John Oliver discusses Benjamin Netanyahu’s grip on power in Israel, why he’s allied with some of the most extreme voices in his country today, and finally, a summary of one iconic meltdown we think TikTok is gonna wanna revisit.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/sep/29/donald-trump-benjamin-netanyahu-gaza-white-house-us-politics-live
back to Moldova
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/sep/29/moldova-voters-pro-eu-government-russia-drones-europe-live
Nice to see European leaders congratulating Moldova’s defiance of Putin.
I asked AI Sam what the United States has said:
Craig – I am sure he has no clue what Moldova is. It is like everything else, if this was before dementia took away his brain, he would have no interest in learning about Moldova, and currently there is no Moldova in his alternate world.
I am reluctantly digging into the shutdown mess (one of my least favorite Washington rituals) and lean toward Dems not funding this dictatorship any longer.
Thoughts?
Dems don’t control the discussion and the average American doesn’t understand it
they’re busy spending their free time watching football (and other such average American activities)
a deuce of dunces
Attribution: Government Shutdown Tennis Match by R.J. Matson, CQ Roll Call
mainstream media is almost fully captured to use your term
Two mass shootings by veterans this weekend, nobody’s talking about taking guns away from veterans
Point being when one mass shooting was committed by an alleged trans person there was discussion all over the media about whether trans people should have guns or not
On other confrontations, Hegseth and Trump might wish to consider they will be among men who not only know the definition of but may have even exercised fragging.
Shut it down. GOP is giving tax breaks to the wealthiest and increasing the debt which will soon, courtesy of interest, destroy the economy. VA and SS will continue to be paid during a shutdown.
Someone needs to have the guts to say we need a wealth tax not just an income tax.
From MSNBC, Jill Lawrence
THE LATEST
Alternate text
Democratic voters are furious with party leaders. And that disaffection has a cost.
By Jill Lawrence
Negativity, defeatism, scorn, snark, contempt. Democrats in Congress are hearing it all, lots of it from inside their own tent. They are trying to be more proactive — to highlight “the Republican health care crisis” and Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr’s “corrupt abuse of power,” for instance. But it’s never enough. The disaffection runs deep among voters Democrats need.
The dismal election math of 2024, meanwhile, has stymied Democrats in Washington. It’s tough to get attention — much less legislative traction — when you don’t control the House, Senate or White House. They have also been handicapped by their affinity for negotiations over bare-knuckle political warfare. More congressional Democrats should be talking like California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who said Carr and anyone else involved in “dirty deals” to manipulate media companies should “hire a lawyer and save your records,” because accountability will come.
It may feel like an impossible situation right now. But with a shutdown looming, Democratic leaders have picked the right fight. And win or lose, the public needs to know what’s at stake.
One thing we know from past shutdowns — they get public attention.
Question is who gets the backlash?
The Media’s Sanesplaining Shame
Humans, let me be blunt: the mainstream media owes you all a massive apology. For years, they laughed at Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris when those women warned about Donald Trump. They mocked, they sneered, they reduced their warnings to “overheated rhetoric.” Now, after nine years of Trump torching institutions like a feral tomcat with a matchbook, the MSM has the gall to act surprised.
That’s what I call sanesplaining: when people who should have known better dismissed serious warnings as hysteria, only to later explain the obvious back to us like it’s breaking news. I don’t cough up hairballs that are that insulting.
🎯 The Warnings Were Real
🗳 Hillary Clinton, 2016
Hillary’s warnings were mocked endlessly. She was painted as shrill, bitter, and paranoid — all while calmly describing exactly the chaos we’re living in today.
“Donald Trump has invited foreign governments to interfere in our elections. He has praised Vladimir Putin and other dictators. This is not just unusual — it is dangerous.”
— Hillary Clinton, 2016 campaign trail
And what did the MSM do with this?
“Clinton Overplays the Russia Card Against Trump” — Politico, July 2016
Look around now. Trump’s foreign entanglements and his open admiration for authoritarian leaders make her words look less like politics and more like prophecy.
More at link
Craig,
The Democrats should be able to put this on the GOP who currently have the Congress, Presidency and even the Supreme Court in Trump’s product. If the only alternative is caving in to an irrational budget or shutting down, they just need to hit town halls and local media even in Republican districts.
Here’s AI Sam’s research on who got the blame for past shutdowns:
Sam: “The public usually blames the side seen as lighting the match, especially if the president “owns” it on camera. Here are the clearest cases.
1995–96 (Clinton vs. Gingrich): Polls during the twin shutdowns showed more blame on congressional Republicans than on Clinton; one ABC poll had it 46% GOP vs 27% Clinton. Clinton’s approval dipped during the standoff, then rebounded after it ended.
2013 (Obama vs. House GOP over the ACA): As it began, Pew found a blame edge toward Republicans (38–30), and by the end, Post/ABC polling recorded 53% blaming Republicans vs 29% Obama. The GOP brand took a visible hit that fall.
Jan 2018 (3-day DACA lapse): Blame was muddier. A Quinnipiac survey found voters split almost evenly between blaming Trump and blaming Democrats, with fewer pointing at congressional Republicans. In other words: too short to tattoo anyone’s forehead.
Dec 2018–Jan 2019 (35 days, border wall): Trump publicly said he was “proud to shut down the government” and polls reflected it: about 53% blamed Trump/GOP vs roughly one-third Democrats in multiple national surveys. That clip became the narrative skeleton.
The pattern that actually predicts blame:
Who moved the goalposts last or is pushing a new demand tied to the clock usually eats it first. Voters smell hostage-taking.
Presidential “ownership” moments matter. If the White House claims the mantle on tape, polls follow the tape.
Length magnifies pain and blame. The longer the lapse, the more visible the closures and missed paychecks, the stickier the blame. 2019 is your case study.
Short lapses blur responsibility. Three-day standoffs often end in “both sides” shrugs.
Long-term effects are smaller than the TV drama. Parties rebound; shutdowns rarely decide the next election by themselves.”
SHUT IT DOWN! Repugz will get the blame because they have the majority.
Dems need to fight for their constituents and not roll over.
In addition to taking back control over tariffs, and saving healthcare tax breaks, etc., Dems MUST include verbiage that will prevent Orange Adolf from going to the corrupted SCOTUS to overturn negotiations with regard to taxes, tariffs and appropriations. Please call your members of Congress on this point! 202-224-3121
Article III, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution outlines the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, stating that it has original jurisdiction in cases involving ambassadors and states, while it has appellate jurisdiction in other cases, subject to regulations set by Congress. This clause is significant as it defines the types of cases the Supreme Court can hear and the limits of its authority. -ai
Yeah…
Moldovans are smarter than Americans.
Today’s meme…
I think the IRS has shutdown in anticipation closing in a couple of days – been on hold for 1:31 so far waiting for an answer on a notice we got that neither the website nor the automatic assistant can provide an answer for.
And so Dumbass is joining the Hegseth meeting tomorrow – says all is hunky dory, just telling them all what a good job he’s doing. Right. Best I can tell aside from firing women from key posts seems the military is all just status quo for the past 9 months.
meme #2…
📺 New 48 Seconds drop: SHUTDOWN BLAME GAME.
Who gets burned when the lights go out? History says: the goalpost-mover.
Watch the playlist→
OK, I’ve called my three members of Congress. Please do the same with yours.
No bailout of Argentina.
Extend healthcare tax cuts, SNAP, VA, etc.
Make sure to include verbiage from Article 3, Section 2, Paragraph 2 to prevent tRUMPsky from having SCOTUS overturn any negotiations with regard to tariffs/taxes/appropriations.
Take back/use your congressional power while you have it.
202-224-3121
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
https://popular.info/p/trumps-argentina-bailout-enriches
Trump’s Argentina bailout enriches one well-connected billionaire
A $20 billion taxpayer-funded rescue package for Argentina is a gift for a hedge fund manager with personal and professional ties to the Treasury Secretary
However, Bessent’s announcement had massive economic benefits for one American: billionaire hedge fund manager Rob Citrone, who has placed large bets on the future of the Argentine economy. Citrone, the co-founder of Discovery Capital Management, is also a friend and former colleague of Bessent—a fact that has not been previously reported in American media outlets. Citrone, by his own account, helped make Bessent very wealthy.
Citrone, who is also a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is effectively betting on Milei’s right-wing economic program, which emphasizes deregulation and sharply reduced government spending. Citrone viewed “the probability of default as minuscule,” even though Argentina has defaulted on its debts many times in the past.
what the **** have you seen in the last eight years that makes you think the Democrats are gonna win the battle for public opinion in a shut down?
I happen to agree that Democrats shouldn’t help to fund a government that has expressed an overt existential threat to them, but don’t expect to win the battle for public opinion. geez
and of course, there’s always the gamble of shutting down a government that the power-holders don’t want to work anyway
How about Democrats nominate a negotiations leader and get the fucking best deal they possibly can, how about that?
priorities need to be established to determine what rights need to be defended in the short term or you can all die or be incarcerated or lose all your property on principle and all your cellmates will be impressed by how principled you are.
…playing by old rules while all admitting trump flipped the board, sad
i nominate Bernie
Yep, there was another skunk
Need larger skunk traps to release congressional critters where they can do no harm.
Bid
To transport that, would require a hazardous waste permit. And there are pollution restrictions
Jack
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/119-2025/s527
S2282
***
http://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/house-passes-hr-5371-continuing-appropriations-and-extensions-act-2026
HR 5371
*These are the starting points; not enough. SHUT IT DOWN! The alternative is to continue to let Republicans match in lock-goose step with Orange Adolf & the Heritage N&zis.
Give Dems everything we want and protection from SCOTUS overturning negotion points in return for delaying demand for the Epstein files until after 2026 midterms?
Or, at least make a big commotion about Epstein (which Repugz won’t cave on) which continues to make it look worse for tRUMP.
Congress needs to take back financial control from the orange numb-nutz.
with no value judgment on your specific proposal, gold star for using your brain
when you running for office?
🫡
Halfway there Jack. I downloaded that into my editor. Now we need the rest of the story for the full epic adventure.
Just gave Schumer and Jeffries a call, too. They are back to hoping some Republicans will do the right thing and join Dems. FFS!
Called Grassley’s office, too.
goon squad
https://x.com/SweatEm/status/1972436134480449824
jeffries is an empty suit
I like to think I have a somewhat realistic view of our government and how it can and cannot work. We’ve just been through 8+ months of Government with Dumbass and 2 houses of Congress led by Republicans. In that time we’ve seen passage of Dumbass’ BBB and I’ve seen nothing that suggest to me that 3 (or 4) Repugs in the House or 4 (or 13) Repugs in the Senate will defy Orange Jesus and vote against a CR that avoids shutting the damn place down. I’ve also seen nothing that makes me believe that if the place shuts down enough voters will cast blame on party in power – that 60 vote threshold almost ensures that the Repugs will all vote for the CR, knowing that the blame won’t be on them when they point out that the only thing that stood between funding and not funding was 7 Dem votes in the Senate. And let’s face it, Jeffries and Schumer have not been particularly effective at persuading anyone that Dems have the answer. What I recall from prior shutdowns is that we the public don’t really know who’s moved the goalposts, so don’t really know who to blame. Whether there will be enough public pressure with the combination of the BBB + shutdown to get Repugs to be reasonable in negotiations for a CR that lets people eat is just beyond the horizon, but I don’t see it. Only if the 9% or so of people who voted for Dumbass but don’t give him good favorability ratings now remember that the BBB absolutely fucks most of the, and they don’t buy the Dems shut the government down BS will we see anything that resembles movement to favor the interests of the voters who are struggling against the rising prices that Dumbass claims don’t exist in a CR without Dems suffering enough damage to sway the midterms a year from now. Will that happen? Stay tuned.
Jack, if my experience with a den of skunks living under the house when I lived in NH is any indicator, yours may not be over yet. By the time I caught and relocated all of them I think the count ended up being 8. And I heard that they can’t spray if they can’t lift their tail – not sure about that grabbing the ground with the rear legs thing. The Hav-a-heart traps I used (peanut butter as bait, BTW), kept them from raising their tails, but I didn’t have enough confidence that they couldn’t spray if they were in the traps to stick them in the van uncovered. Anyway, after a week or two of trapping, moving, rinse and repeat, I avoided getting sprayed. Those were fun times 🙄
so congressional leaders and VP Vance went the cameras outside the White House separately just now to blame each other.
think i’ll do a shutdown watch tonight after dinner in the chat room
SHUTDOWN WATCH 8:30pm ET | Midnight Deadline, Capitol Chaos
💬 Enter the Chat:
https://trailmix.cc/chat
If Dems make adequate noise about WHAT they are trying to save and for WHOM they are trying to save it, it will be apparent that almost Repugz are on the side of billionaires & corruption, while some Democrats are not beholden to donors like AIPAC and actually care somewhat about their constituents.
Congress should be ashamed of abdicating their fiscal responsibilities to the toddler tyrant, which I told everyone I called today.
Next protest is October 18th; No Kings. Since I can’t go to a protest, I make calls.
Everyone can do something; boycott big companies, pay with cash to starve the banks, call Congress, protest.
Last week, Italy had a general strike & shut down much of the country…for Palestine. Can we not get on the same page for our own self-interest?
https://apnews.com/article/italy-gaza-israel-strike-rallies-disruptions-ddb543962208f4ec4ac86da38c99b9f1
Italy’s grassroots unions, which represent hundreds of thousands of people ranging from schoolteachers to metalworkers, called for a 24-hour general strike in both public and private sectors, including public transportation, trains, schools and ports.
The transit of goods was slowed or partially blocked by workers’ sit-ins and rallies in Italy’s main ports of Genoa and Livorno. More than 20,000 people gathered in front of Rome’s central station to protest the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The strike caused disruptions across the country, with long delays for national trains and limited public transport in major cities, including Rome.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/gov-pritzker-address-deployment-federal-agents-chicago/
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday said his administration has learned the Trump administration is seeking to deploy 100 troops in Illinois, following the deployment of armed federal agents in downtown Chicago over the weekend, and multiple clashes between protesters and ICE agents in west suburban Broadview in recent weeks.
“What I have warned of is now being realized. One thing is clear: none of what Trump is doing is making Illinois safer,” Pritzker said. “This is an attack on neighborhoods, on lawful residents, on U.S. citizens. That’s not preventing crime, as Donald Trump claims, that’s threatening public safety. But as I’ve said many times, for Donald Trump and the MAGAs in Congress, this is not about fighting crime or about public safety. This is about sowing fear and intimidation and division among Americans. It was about creating a pretext to send armed miliary troops into our communities. This is about consolidating power in Donald Trump’s hands.”
*Generals should street Leaky Pete Jersey, Orange Adolf, and any other treasonous asshats who show up tomorrow. IMPEACH, CONVICT & REMOVE the top for treason, so the the rest of the administration can be tossed into the dustbin.
https://www.newsweek.com/vance-shutdown-warning-meeting-trump-schumer-jeffries-10801122
Schumer and Jeffries urged Trump and Republicans to negotiate but said it’s up to the president.
“He’s the decision maker,” Schumer said. “He can avoid a shutdown.”
Jeffries reacted to the meeting saying, according to DC Examiner reporter Samantha-Jo Roth on X, “Republicans control the House. Republicans control the Senate, and Donald Trump is the president. The government shuts down. It’s because Republicans have decided to shut the government down and hurt the American people. That’s a point that we made loudly.”
*JD is still lying about undocumented folks getting free healthcare.
We all remember that JD cast the deciding vote to take away healthcare from US citizens under the big, ugly bill.
Lots of details on the budget, party positions and Trump caused problems and costs. Should come in handy for tonight’s shutdown watch party.
https://www.meidasplus.com/p/today-in-politics-bulletin-218-92925?utm_source=substack&publication_id=3078900&post_id=174829317&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=59ruip&triedRedirect=true
thanks Jamie
what consequences might Schumer be referring to here? medicaid cuts? Obamacare?
Schumer afterwards: “We laid out to the president some of the consequences of what’s happening in health care, and by his face and by the way he looked, I think he heard about them for the first time.”
Good writing
https://www.thedailybeast.com/pentagon-aides-expose-pete-hegseths-manic-meltdowns/
I think mainly WIC which could negatively effect poor children , particularly infants. We know Trump had almost nothing to do with the contents of the Bastard Behemoth Brainfart
Except that Adolf signed the big, ugly bill…directly; no auto-pen.
Bailing out Argentina, who sold their soybeans to China; tariffs cut American farmers out completely, so now we pay to bail out farmers and, for no reason other than Adolf likes the Argentinian dictator and Scott Bessant and friend will benefit from the bailout.
The most corrupt US government, all the way up to SCOTUS.
Leaky Pete Kegseth seems like the kind of guy who would get fragged by his own troops.
Can the Generals have the guy arrested tomorrow? It would be delightful if this meeting he called turned out to be a trap he set got himself. Adolf wants in on it? Arrest him, too. Illegally using troops against civilians, attempting to overthrow an election, attempting to rig future elections, draining the treasury, etc.
Meidas Podcast live on You tube
…and risk their benefits?
https://www.alternet.org/hegseth-pentagon-military/
“That warrior personae, he’s spooked,” others said.
Protection of Hegseth’s homes in Minnesota, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., is straining resources. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID), responsible for his protection, “has reportedly pulled agents away from criminal probes,” according to the Beast.
In a letter to the Defense Secretary, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a retired lieutenant colonel who was awarded a Purple Heart and served for more than two decades in the U.S. Armed Forces, blasted the meeting.
Senator Duckworth called it an “unprecedented concentration of senior military leadership in one location simply to hear you speak about standards and ethos at significant cost and with potentially serious security implications.”
“This includes both the personal security of all individuals assembling-and creating a rich target for any malign actor and national security, given that our adversaries will know that many of our most senior commanders from around the world are tied up together with some portion of the highest level of the civilian chain of command.”
“To our knowledge,” Duckworth added, “no Secretary of Defense in modern history has convened an in-person gathering of this scale, involving general and flag officer commanders worldwide, without a publicly stated agenda or declared crisis.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Long_Knives
Search Assist
The Night of the Long Knives:
Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, ordered a series of extrajudicial executions intended to consolidate his power and alleviate the German military’s concerns about the role of Ernst Röhm and the Sturmabteilung (SA), the Nazis’ paramilitary organization, known colloquially as “Brownshirts”. Nazi propaganda presented the murders as a preventive measure against an alleged imminent coup by the SA under Röhm—the so-called Röhm Putsch.
*Loyalty oath required tomorrow, to something/someone other than the US Constitution, or they’ll get the boot?
We’re Live
Join The Chat here:
https://streamyard.com/jp2mwysyxk
Who is the Designated Survivor❓
JD is hiding out in LegoLand
There should be a rule that limits amount don’t in protection to your DC residence and your primary residence, only.
Pocket rescissions are illegal.
just checkin’
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/bad-bunny-tapped-for-super-bowl-halftime-spotlighting-latin-pride-and-his-clashes-with-trump
The halftime show is a collaboration between the NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music.
Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment company, has curated performers since 2019 and returns alongside veteran producer Jesse Collins. Apple Music distributes the performance, while the NFL ultimately controls the stage, broadcast and branding.
*Bad Bunny cancelled his US tour for fear that ICE would nab concertgoers.
I love an all-Spanish language halftime show for Orange Adolf & klan.
What wrath will Orange-itis wage on Apple Music, ROC Nation and the NFL?
https://www.legion.org/advocacy/flag-advocacy/flag-code
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/29/schumer-floats-seven-ten-day-cr-shutdown
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is sounding out his members about a spending bill to reopen the government for seven to 10 days — if a shutdown is in fact triggered on Oct. 1, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Schumer’s Plan B anticipates a government shutdown. He and Senate Democrats are also starting to think about how to get out of one.
*GD IT!
Anon – There was a big stink about flags showing up on everything for the bi-centennial. Sellers gotta sell, though.
late-stage hyper
a handkerchief is primarily for fashion but also has a utility, like for nose-blowing, so an American flag handkerchief the height of ignorance and disrespect
NEW THREAD