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Trump is purging the military top brass to replace them with 'more compliant' individuals.

I am curious about the motivation of any such individuals. I can see in the very short term career advancement, but in the next 5 or 10 years, unless the republic is overthrown and the insane clown and his posse remain in charge it's not going to end well for them

How many of Hitler's top generals did well out of it...?

Changing Joint Chiefs around the start of a presidential term isn’t, in itself, all that unusual.
Which is not something you can say about the simultaneous dismissal of three Judge Advocates General.

@maxkennerly.bsky.social‬

Just look at these paragraphs from the AP story.

Hegseth called Brown unqualified solely because he's Black. Then they fired him... and replaced him with a white guy so indisputably unqualified that he requires a Presidential waiver.

This is what "merit" means to them.

https://bsky.app/profile/maxkennerly.bsky.social/post/3liq7jc73ac2y

Racism, sexism, homophobia will all become very apparent soon, sadly. The rights of anyone not white and straight will slowly be reduced - as has already become the case for women.

That's what the illiberals want.

The generals would not have been fired, had they been fervent admirers of Trump; expressed support for slavey; claimed that the 2020 election was stolen etc.

Saying someone is a "DEI hire" is now an acceptable way of expressing racism

No, it means you oppose racism - in this case reverse racism.

No - opposing DEI is arguably opposing reverse racism.

Describing someone as a “DEI hire” is to imply they aren’t qualified. In cases such as the CoGS that’s not accurate. So it is code for something else.

Sky News have a good article about those minerals .

https://news.sky.com/story/unclear-whether-ukraine-us-rare-earth-saga-is-a-masterstroke-or-colonial-appropriation-13311930

How much blowback would there be in Europe if the US cut off Star Link ?

it's not altogether clear that any of the critical mineral deposits in Ukraine are of world-changing significance. It's certainly true that Ukraine has large proven resources of lithium - around 500,000 tonnes, more than any other country in Europe.However, this is small beer in comparison with the 1.8 million tonnes of lithium reserves in the US. Indeed, look at the other prospective lithium resources that sit underneath America and they come to a whopping 19 million tonnes, more than the country will ever need for its electric vehicle fleet.

So maybe it's more about denying Ukraine’s natural resources to Europe (which would suit the US, Russia and China) than
claiming them for America.

Nah. It’s about money and who gets to exploit the minerals. Contracts will go to friends of Trump who will keep the “repayments” of US government support for Ukraine

Like Iraq.

Very different

Contracts in Iraq went to big global oil companies, a number of whom are US (but usually public companies)

In Ukraine’s case it will be going to the likes of Trump Mineral Corp, Musk Exploitation and Hesgeth Mining. Those companies are likely to sub-contract the operations to more experienced miners.

Anyone got any tips for the German election? Seat totals etc?

A CSU/CSU plurality seems a safe bet, as does the complete loss of FDP and fall in SPD support. The need to exclude the AFD probably points to a CDU-SPD coalition in the end, though a majority might be cobbled together with some of the small parties. The problem is essentially that if a CDU-SPD government is perceived to fail, the AFD will present themselves as the only substantial alternative. Germany doesn't usually do minority governments, which otherwise might be the best bet for the CDU/CSU.

Watch out for the neo-nazi rampers - Musk, Putin, WilliamGlenn - subtracting the CSU total from the CDU/CSU total to make it look like the AfD came closer to winning.

For those not familiar with the situation - the CSU is only in Bavaria, the CDU everywhere except Bavaria. They are 2 parties, but have a joint manifesto for the federal elections, and a joint Chancellor-candidate. The closest UK equivalent is the Scottish Green Party and English + Welsh Green Party being 2 parties - but you probably wouldn't separate the Scottish Green vote total from the English + Welsh Green vote total for your headline election results. Except of course Bavaria is a lot bigger than Scotland (13.4 million vs 5.4 million), and CDU/CSU are a lot bigger than the Green Parties of Britain.

There's very little chance of a minority government for various reasons. Very likely Union+SPD, or if they don't have a majority Union+SPD+Greens. Small chance of Union+Greens if they have a majority. Very little chance of anything else.

Anyone hoping for any significant rapid changes in German foreign policy are likely to be disappointed, though Merz may provide Taurus missiles once Chancellor (which might take a while), if that is even still relevant by then. Union+Greens would be the most likely option to offer more weapons to Ukraine.

Merz, FWIW, has been much more outspoken about supporting Ukraine than has the feeble Scholz. Is that not likely to lead to some change ?

Nick I don't doubt you are arguing in good faith, and value your perspective.

But where would you factor in the larger cause of this war, which is to signal to Putin that his interference in Eastern Europe is not legitimate? I'm not sure this is 'essentially a border war'.

Second question: whilst I think I agree it is time for a settlement (subject to Ukraine's wishes), do you agree that Trump's approach has inexplicably given all the bargaining power to Putin in a way that is totally unnecessary?

Thank you, Max.

Q1: I think we've already signalled that pretty effectively. Should we go on doing so indefinitely?
Q2: I agree - Trump's approach inexplicably hands over key points in advance, ironically making a mockery of claiming to be an expert on "the deal".

It would IMO be reasonable to explore the possibility of peace, without preconditions. If the price proved too high, so be it - war continues until that changes. But contiuing the war indefinitely without a plausible gameplan for ending it seems to me wrong.

kle4 said: "I wish Trump was playing more golf." So do I (just as I sometimes wished Obama would play more golf).

So I was pleased to learn that the Loser is playing more golf than he did in his first term:
"Yet, by the standard of the first month of his second term, Trump’s 2017 absences from the White House were downright modest.

As of noon on Thursday, Trump will have been president for 31 full days. He will have spent all or part of 16 of those days at four Trump Organization properties. He will have played golf on 10 of those days. He will have spent 19 nights at the White House and 12 nights at properties owned by his private business. He will have spent precisely zero Friday or Saturday nights at the executive mansion. He will have played golf every weekend day except for this past Sunday, when he opted to take the presidential limousine for a spin at Daytona International Speedway instead."
source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/20/trump-second-term-golfing-resorts/

The only downside of all this golf -- for the nation and the world -- is that it prevents the Loser from being a check, at least occasionally, on Musk and company. I know, it sounds weird to think of the Loser being a force for moderation, even occasionally, but it has happened.

(For the record: If Musk has a plan behind all this disruption, I have not discovered it.)

Is Trump still charging the Secret Service for accommodation at his own resorts?

Trump is purging the military top brass to replace them with 'more compliant' individuals.

I am curious about the motivation of any such individuals. I can see in the very short term career advancement, but in the next 5 or 10 years, unless the republic is overthrown and the insane clown and his posse remain in charge it's not going to end well for them

How many of Hitler's top generals did well out of it...?

Changing Joint Chiefs around the start of a presidential term isn’t, in itself, all that unusual.
Which is not something you can say about the simultaneous dismissal of three Judge Advocates General.

@maxkennerly.bsky.social‬

Just look at these paragraphs from the AP story.

Hegseth called Brown unqualified solely because he's Black. Then they fired him... and replaced him with a white guy so indisputably unqualified that he requires a Presidential waiver.

This is what "merit" means to them.

https://bsky.app/profile/maxkennerly.bsky.social/post/3liq7jc73ac2y

CIA and special ops… he might be eminently qualified for what Trump might intend.

I doubt Trump chose him. It is what the people riding in on Trump's coattails intend.

Perhaps, but Trump certainly knows him.
.. Last year, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump recalled first meeting Gen Caine in Iraq. "He looked better than any movie actor you could get," Trump told the audience….

Trump is purging the military top brass to replace them with 'more compliant' individuals.

I am curious about the motivation of any such individuals. I can see in the very short term career advancement, but in the next 5 or 10 years, unless the republic is overthrown and the insane clown and his posse remain in charge it's not going to end well for them

How many of Hitler's top generals did well out of it...?

Changing Joint Chiefs around the start of a presidential term isn’t, in itself, all that unusual.
Which is not something you can say about the simultaneous dismissal of three Judge Advocates General.

@maxkennerly.bsky.social‬

Just look at these paragraphs from the AP story.

Hegseth called Brown unqualified solely because he's Black. Then they fired him... and replaced him with a white guy so indisputably unqualified that he requires a Presidential waiver.

This is what "merit" means to them.

https://bsky.app/profile/maxkennerly.bsky.social/post/3liq7jc73ac2y

Racism, sexism, homophobia will all become very apparent soon, sadly. The rights of anyone not white and straight will slowly be reduced - as has already become the case for women.

That's what the illiberals want.

The generals would not have been fired, had they been fervent admirers of Trump; expressed support for slavey; claimed that the 2020 election was stolen etc.

Saying someone is a "DEI hire" is now an acceptable way of expressing racism