"The Danes, and the Canadians better get to work on a nuclear deterrent, and hope it’s ready in time."
France sent a nuclear sub to a port in the Maritimes back in the early days of Trump II. Both France and Canada are NATO nations.
As are we, for that matter. So who knows what was intended, or how any of it would play out. But my understanding is that it was... unusual for a French nuke to show up in North America .
Trump is basically flipping the tables. Who knows where it will all end up.
My expectations of the Trump administration were of course low, but I did expect at least a token gesture of resistance from the EU and the UK. Instead, they all folded immediately: Kallas, von der Leyen, Macron, Starmer and Merz. It is beyond belief how pathetic they are
I suppose the Canadians and the Danes feel some temporary relief that the crazies are still looking south for the moment.
Be careful, it could just be a clever (good joke!) distraction, so the strike will come as a surprise.
Again more seriously: It was no joke about other threatened states likely ramping up air and ground defenses around their seats of government. But that could serve as justification to not go for abduction next time but outright assassination, if need be by air dropped ordnance.
His Orangeness is said to already have phoned Maduro's temporary successor and it is strongly implied that this included death threats in case of lack of unconditional surrender to His demands.
The Danes, and the Canadians better get to work on a nuclear deterrent, and hope it's ready in time.
For that matter, the Dutch better also do so, since the ICC is on their land.
I see the our Secretary of State is already talking about doing something similar in Cuba (totally no surprise) and Nicaragua. Perhaps he wants to move quickly, to get it done before it becomes obvious what a total cock-up this is.
I suppose the Canadians and the Danes feel some temporary relief that the crazies are still looking south for the moment.
Just heard on the German radio that Rubio is now talking openly about copying the Caracas action in Cuba and Nicaragua and justifying it with those states conducting warfare against the US by swamping the country with immigrants.*
Well, in that case he should of course get immediately arrested and treated as a hostile agent who wormed himself into a high position in government (they used to hang such people in the past, didn't they?).
More seriously, those potential targets would be well advised to bolster the air and ground defenses around their seats of government (and I assume they are already at it).
*that would serve, I assume, as the next excuse not to involve congress. If there already is a war, congress does not need to declare it, so His Orangeness is free to do as he wants.
What jurisdiction does the SDNY have over the president of another country?
According to SCOTUS it has none over the US president. Let's see what 5-dimensional pretzel the gang of 6 will produce about this (if it ever goes there).
Btw, it's quite ironic that the case is given to a blue state court that His Orangeness used to constantly demonize for 'going after' Him.
What jurisdiction does the SDNY have over the president of another country?
Well, they can apply to have him extradited. (Good luck with that.)
Or, if he travels to the US without diplomatic immunity, they could have him arrested while he was here. Whether being kidnapped and brought into the US counts is dubious. Certainly having the US government do the kidnapping, as in this case, seems like cause to throw the case out of court. Even before the (low) quality of the actual case is addressed.
"Well, he just executed the arrest warrant from the Southern District of NY for among other things illegal possession of firearms and intent to acquire such."
What jurisdiction does the SDNY have over the president of another country?
@Hartmut, if Western Europe has really reached that sort of conclusion, that the US executive branch (with cover from the judicial) can do as it pleases, w/o any attention to even the niceties of form, well... There's three more years before control of the executive can legally change hands. I would suggest Europe thinks hard about taking action:
Get serious about the mutual defense parts of the EU treaties, rather than NATO. How does France feel about a nuclear-capable Germany?
Accept that it's going to be damned expensive.
Kick the 80,000+ US military and their kit out of Europe. Soon.
Work hard to get Britain to jump the right way.
And part of me also thinks, don't ask me to constrain the Trumpists overseas, I've got a civil war to fight.
Such a strange state of paralysis we are in as a nation. The Democrats cannot keep up with the galloping norm-crushing or find any path of resistance that is not through the slow crawl of the courts. The media is hapless, and hopeless, and toothless, and hamstrung by oligarchic editorial capture. That leaves civil resistance, but it doesn't seem like we are really ready to hit the streets and risk an authoritarian backlash and the suspension of habeas corpus that we know the authoritarians are jonezing to try out.
Every last bit of this could be ground to a halt if the milquetoast Republicans who have "raised concerns" would break ranks and side with the Dems to restore accountability. I don't see that happening. The GOP has so thoroughly demonized (literally) the Dems that I can't see any of them choosing to work with the Enemies of Christendom.
Michael Cain, I thought the snark about 'just executing a warrant' was obvious enough. The pretense, whether it was cocaine and submachine guns or counterfeit aspirin and single shot soft air rifles, is simply ridiculous. They could as well justify their actions with him jaywalking, not paying for a bus ticket or parking violations. It was an act of war without war being declared or congress even discussing anything that could serve as a legal pretense. And it was another test case what he can get away with. Will he try a fait accompli with Greenland next? I think that has ceased to be a mere academic question after to-day. I think it would actually take less military effort to sweep in and take over than what they did in Caracas.
In addition to Trump's threats about crude oil resources in Venezuela, a Delaware court is nearing the end of the process to sell off Citgo's US assets. Citgo is majority owned, indirectly, by Venezuela. Citgo's big Gulf Coast refineries were specifically tailored to handle Venezuela's crappy crude oil. As I understand that case, much of the proceeds from the sale will go to the companies whose Venezuelan assets were nationalized. None of the big oil majors bid on the Citgo assets. You have to wonder if any of them will be interested in taking on the billions of dollars of deferred maintenance the oil infrastructure in Venezuela requires.
Jesus. This from David Frum's piece in the Atlantic today, lands sinisterly:
Because the anti-Trump side is preoccupied with domestic politics, it sometimes overlooks how Trump is corroding American leadership in the world. The Venezuelan regime is broadly unpopular in Latin America; its socialism of plunder has sent millions of desperate people into Colombia and other states. But U.S. intervention is deeply mistrusted in the region, associated much more closely with bringing dictators to power than with toppling them. The administration could have courted greater legitimacy for its actions by cooperating with regional partners, such as Colombia and Brazil, which have both tangled with the Maduro regime in the recent past. Refusing such cooperation is not merely an incidental vice of Trump’s foreign policy. That vice is at its core. Military action in Venezuela today without allies may prefigure action tomorrow against allies—for example, to invade and annex Greenland. The big strategic idea of the second Trump administration is that major powers are entitled to dominate their neighbors: Russia to dominate Ukraine, China to dominate its neighborhood, and the U.S. to rule over Venezuela, Greenland, Panama, and ultimately Canada—Trump’s desired “51st state.”
David Frum's politics are not mine, but I am determined to keep an eye on rational rightwingers, in case they ever have any influence on the GOP (hard to see at this point). If anybody wants the full piece, just let me know.
...for among other things illegal possession of firearms and intent to acquire such. Where in the constitution does it say that one needs a congressional approval for that?
If I recall what I've seen this morning correctly, the indictment that is the basis for the arrest warrant says "fully automatic firearms". Full-auto weapons are only legal under some very narrow conditions. I don't remember if a non-citizen can qualify. So far, at least, the Supreme Court has upheld state and federal restrictions on full-auto weapons.
Well, he just executed the arrest warrant from the Southern District of NY for among other things illegal possession of firearms and intent to acquire such. Where in the constitution does it say that one needs a congressional approval for that?
Let's see how much pocket change Maduro has to buy a pardon.
Of course, if is state charges, that would require a transfer to the feds first.
Meanwhile, His Orangeness has declared that the official government of Mexico is not actually in charge of the country but the cartels and that will have consequences soon. Hm, a few days ago he declared that Columbia would be next. Such inconsistency. Not to forget similar threats towards Iran. As usual the open support of the US and Israel for the protestors in Iran gives the radicals on both sides* the licence/license/pretense to use indiscriminate violence.
Btw, Israel is currently facing some headwind with a plan to introduce a capital crime that can only be committed by Palestinians.
China and Russia are delighted, I presume, about the current events. It's exactly what they need for their own propaganda.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said
Consider the level of ineptitude he has demonstrated running this country. Figure that he will likely to send the worst of the worst (albeit pretty on camera) to supposedly run a country where, inevitably, none of them speak the language.
People with appropriate linguistic expertise are requested to find a word we can use when "fiasco" is just way too mild.
International law and strategic consequences aside, they never learn:
U.S. officials ran a war game ...
The results showed that chaos and violence were likely to erupt ... “The thing that really worries us is that they don’t appear to have any serious plan for what happens afterward,” said Phil Gunson, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group ... Mr. Maduro’s overthrow — whether by military coup, popular uprising or U.S. military action — would shatter Venezuela’s brittle authoritarian government and produce “chaos for a sustained period of time with no possibility of ending it,”
I note that, not only has there been no Declaration of War. There hasn't even been any sign of a Congressional resolution, such has provided a fig leaf for our various wars since World War II.
How long before Trump emulates his hero and calls it a Special Military Operation? Or will he go all in, and call it a spetsoperatsiya? (No chance he can manage спецопера́ция.)
Will His Orangeness compare his dict-napping in Venezuela to Israel's capture of Eichmann given that he in essence accuses Maduro constantly of murdering millions of US citizens (per year or per month?)?
Since I dislike listening to political speeches regardless of the speaker's politics, I had Grok do a recap of the speech.
"The approximately 20-minute video shows Zohran Mamdani being sworn in as mayor on the steps of City Hall, repeating the oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, New York State Constitution, and City Charter. He addresses a crowd in chilly January weather, expressing humility and solidarity with New Yorkers from diverse backgrounds, including immigrants, workers, and those in neglected areas. Mamdani thanks supporters, family, outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, progressive figures like Bernie Sanders (who officiated the oath), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Nydia Velázquez, and commits to serving all residents regardless of political differences..."
On “2026, as f**ked up as 2025”
Over at BJ, Adam Silverman is reminding everyone that both the Greenland nonsense and the Venezuela idea were planted by the GRU.
https://balloon-juice.com/2026/01/04/war-for-ukraine-day-1410-and-now-we-know-where-the-venezuela-idea-came-from/
None of these idiots should ever have been given security clearance. They are entirely too easily manipulated.
"
"The Danes, and the Canadians better get to work on a nuclear deterrent, and hope it’s ready in time."
France sent a nuclear sub to a port in the Maritimes back in the early days of Trump II. Both France and Canada are NATO nations.
As are we, for that matter. So who knows what was intended, or how any of it would play out. But my understanding is that it was... unusual for a French nuke to show up in North America .
Trump is basically flipping the tables. Who knows where it will all end up.
"
My expectations of the Trump administration were of course low, but I did expect at least a token gesture of resistance from the EU and the UK. Instead, they all folded immediately: Kallas, von der Leyen, Macron, Starmer and Merz. It is beyond belief how pathetic they are
"
Two articles about the relationship to my neighborhood
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2026/01/04/u-s-action-in-venezuela-risks-encouraging-chinas-claims-taiwan-still-not-the-target/
https://www.firstpost.com/world/venezuela-today-taiwan-tomorrow-trumps-maduro-move-hands-china-cheap-ammunition-for-taipei-strike-13965411.html
And this very interesting recollection by Greg Palast. A bit heavy on the conspiracy theory stuff, but one wonders.
https://www.gregpalast.com/when-venezuelas-president-delcy-rodriguez-banged-on-my-door-at-2am/
"
I suppose the Canadians and the Danes feel some temporary relief that the crazies are still looking south for the moment.
Be careful, it could just be a clever (good joke!) distraction, so the strike will come as a surprise.
Again more seriously: It was no joke about other threatened states likely ramping up air and ground defenses around their seats of government. But that could serve as justification to not go for abduction next time but outright assassination, if need be by air dropped ordnance.
His Orangeness is said to already have phoned Maduro's temporary successor and it is strongly implied that this included death threats in case of lack of unconditional surrender to His demands.
"
The Danes, and the Canadians better get to work on a nuclear deterrent, and hope it's ready in time.
For that matter, the Dutch better also do so, since the ICC is on their land.
"
I see the our Secretary of State is already talking about doing something similar in Cuba (totally no surprise) and Nicaragua. Perhaps he wants to move quickly, to get it done before it becomes obvious what a total cock-up this is.
I suppose the Canadians and the Danes feel some temporary relief that the crazies are still looking south for the moment.
"
Just heard on the German radio that Rubio is now talking openly about copying the Caracas action in Cuba and Nicaragua and justifying it with those states conducting warfare against the US by swamping the country with immigrants.*
Well, in that case he should of course get immediately arrested and treated as a hostile agent who wormed himself into a high position in government (they used to hang such people in the past, didn't they?).
More seriously, those potential targets would be well advised to bolster the air and ground defenses around their seats of government (and I assume they are already at it).
*that would serve, I assume, as the next excuse not to involve congress. If there already is a war, congress does not need to declare it, so His Orangeness is free to do as he wants.
"
What jurisdiction does the SDNY have over the president of another country?
According to SCOTUS it has none over the US president. Let's see what 5-dimensional pretzel the gang of 6 will produce about this (if it ever goes there).
Btw, it's quite ironic that the case is given to a blue state court that His Orangeness used to constantly demonize for 'going after' Him.
"
What jurisdiction does the SDNY have over the president of another country?
Well, they can apply to have him extradited. (Good luck with that.)
Or, if he travels to the US without diplomatic immunity, they could have him arrested while he was here. Whether being kidnapped and brought into the US counts is dubious. Certainly having the US government do the kidnapping, as in this case, seems like cause to throw the case out of court. Even before the (low) quality of the actual case is addressed.
"
"Well, he just executed the arrest warrant from the Southern District of NY for among other things illegal possession of firearms and intent to acquire such."
What jurisdiction does the SDNY have over the president of another country?
"
@Hartmut, if Western Europe has really reached that sort of conclusion, that the US executive branch (with cover from the judicial) can do as it pleases, w/o any attention to even the niceties of form, well... There's three more years before control of the executive can legally change hands. I would suggest Europe thinks hard about taking action:
And part of me also thinks, don't ask me to constrain the Trumpists overseas, I've got a civil war to fight.
"
Such a strange state of paralysis we are in as a nation. The Democrats cannot keep up with the galloping norm-crushing or find any path of resistance that is not through the slow crawl of the courts. The media is hapless, and hopeless, and toothless, and hamstrung by oligarchic editorial capture. That leaves civil resistance, but it doesn't seem like we are really ready to hit the streets and risk an authoritarian backlash and the suspension of habeas corpus that we know the authoritarians are jonezing to try out.
Every last bit of this could be ground to a halt if the milquetoast Republicans who have "raised concerns" would break ranks and side with the Dems to restore accountability. I don't see that happening. The GOP has so thoroughly demonized (literally) the Dems that I can't see any of them choosing to work with the Enemies of Christendom.
So very fucked up.
"
Michael Cain, I thought the snark about 'just executing a warrant' was obvious enough. The pretense, whether it was cocaine and submachine guns or counterfeit aspirin and single shot soft air rifles, is simply ridiculous. They could as well justify their actions with him jaywalking, not paying for a bus ticket or parking violations. It was an act of war without war being declared or congress even discussing anything that could serve as a legal pretense. And it was another test case what he can get away with. Will he try a fait accompli with Greenland next? I think that has ceased to be a mere academic question after to-day. I think it would actually take less military effort to sweep in and take over than what they did in Caracas.
"
In addition to Trump's threats about crude oil resources in Venezuela, a Delaware court is nearing the end of the process to sell off Citgo's US assets. Citgo is majority owned, indirectly, by Venezuela. Citgo's big Gulf Coast refineries were specifically tailored to handle Venezuela's crappy crude oil. As I understand that case, much of the proceeds from the sale will go to the companies whose Venezuelan assets were nationalized. None of the big oil majors bid on the Citgo assets. You have to wonder if any of them will be interested in taking on the billions of dollars of deferred maintenance the oil infrastructure in Venezuela requires.
"
Jesus. This from David Frum's piece in the Atlantic today, lands sinisterly:
Because the anti-Trump side is preoccupied with domestic politics, it sometimes overlooks how Trump is corroding American leadership in the world. The Venezuelan regime is broadly unpopular in Latin America; its socialism of plunder has sent millions of desperate people into Colombia and other states. But U.S. intervention is deeply mistrusted in the region, associated much more closely with bringing dictators to power than with toppling them. The administration could have courted greater legitimacy for its actions by cooperating with regional partners, such as Colombia and Brazil, which have both tangled with the Maduro regime in the recent past. Refusing such cooperation is not merely an incidental vice of Trump’s foreign policy. That vice is at its core. Military action in Venezuela today without allies may prefigure action tomorrow against allies—for example, to invade and annex Greenland. The big strategic idea of the second Trump administration is that major powers are entitled to dominate their neighbors: Russia to dominate Ukraine, China to dominate its neighborhood, and the U.S. to rule over Venezuela, Greenland, Panama, and ultimately Canada—Trump’s desired “51st state.”
David Frum's politics are not mine, but I am determined to keep an eye on rational rightwingers, in case they ever have any influence on the GOP (hard to see at this point). If anybody wants the full piece, just let me know.
"
...for among other things illegal possession of firearms and intent to acquire such. Where in the constitution does it say that one needs a congressional approval for that?
If I recall what I've seen this morning correctly, the indictment that is the basis for the arrest warrant says "fully automatic firearms". Full-auto weapons are only legal under some very narrow conditions. I don't remember if a non-citizen can qualify. So far, at least, the Supreme Court has upheld state and federal restrictions on full-auto weapons.
"
Well, he just executed the arrest warrant from the Southern District of NY for among other things illegal possession of firearms and intent to acquire such. Where in the constitution does it say that one needs a congressional approval for that?
Let's see how much pocket change Maduro has to buy a pardon.
Of course, if is state charges, that would require a transfer to the feds first.
Meanwhile, His Orangeness has declared that the official government of Mexico is not actually in charge of the country but the cartels and that will have consequences soon. Hm, a few days ago he declared that Columbia would be next. Such inconsistency. Not to forget similar threats towards Iran. As usual the open support of the US and Israel for the protestors in Iran gives the radicals on both sides* the licence/license/pretense to use indiscriminate violence.
Btw, Israel is currently facing some headwind with a plan to introduce a capital crime that can only be committed by Palestinians.
China and Russia are delighted, I presume, about the current events. It's exactly what they need for their own propaganda.
*I do not include the civilian protestors.
"
Consider the level of ineptitude he has demonstrated running this country. Figure that he will likely to send the worst of the worst (albeit pretty on camera) to supposedly run a country where, inevitably, none of them speak the language.
People with appropriate linguistic expertise are requested to find a word we can use when "fiasco" is just way too mild.
"
International law and strategic consequences aside, they never learn:
U.S. officials ran a war game ...
The results showed that chaos and violence were likely to erupt ... “The thing that really worries us is that they don’t appear to have any serious plan for what happens afterward,” said Phil Gunson, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group ... Mr. Maduro’s overthrow — whether by military coup, popular uprising or U.S. military action — would shatter Venezuela’s brittle authoritarian government and produce “chaos for a sustained period of time with no possibility of ending it,”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/us/politics/venezuela-maduro-fallout-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BlA.jrlx.gJPz0yuSJoGR&smid=url-share
"
I saw this in a comment on Blue Sky: Wag the Dog meets Grand Theft Oil.
"
No, no! 2026, far more f*cked up than 2025!
I note that, not only has there been no Declaration of War. There hasn't even been any sign of a Congressional resolution, such has provided a fig leaf for our various wars since World War II.
How long before Trump emulates his hero and calls it a Special Military Operation? Or will he go all in, and call it a spetsoperatsiya? (No chance he can manage спецопера́ция.)
On “Moving towards Epiphany”
I guess now we have the answer to the 2025 Question of the Year:
Which will Trump invade first, Canada or Greenland?
"
Will His Orangeness compare his dict-napping in Venezuela to Israel's capture of Eichmann given that he in essence accuses Maduro constantly of murdering millions of US citizens (per year or per month?)?
On “Dayyyyum”
Since I dislike listening to political speeches regardless of the speaker's politics, I had Grok do a recap of the speech.
"The approximately 20-minute video shows Zohran Mamdani being sworn in as mayor on the steps of City Hall, repeating the oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, New York State Constitution, and City Charter. He addresses a crowd in chilly January weather, expressing humility and solidarity with New Yorkers from diverse backgrounds, including immigrants, workers, and those in neglected areas. Mamdani thanks supporters, family, outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, progressive figures like Bernie Sanders (who officiated the oath), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Nydia Velázquez, and commits to serving all residents regardless of political differences..."
Mamdani's 2026 NYC Inauguration Analysis
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.