How Elon Musk Is Remaking Grok in His Image www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/t...
All things Europe, in all things European. Neofunctionalist-in-chief, trilemmer, sci-fi & fantasy nerd. Political economist, associate professor at Politecnico of Turin, fellow at Bruegel. " Europe will be made through crises...."
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How Elon Musk Is Remaking Grok in His Image www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/t...
Trump and the Trumpists have united the enemies of the West. One of the biggest own goals in post-WW2 history.
Case in point bsky.app/profile/youg...
Remove Hungary’s voting rights. It should have been done a long time ago
Results so stunningly clear they inspired this classic xkcd (xkcd.com/2400/):
#OpenAccess from @psrm.bsky.social - “Sleeping with the enemy”: partisanship and tolerance in online dating - cup.org/3USYaD9 "...the influence of partisanship is on par with conventional criteria like physical appearance" - Yara Sleiman, Georgios Melios & Paul Dolan #FirstView
Across Europe, when centrist parties have adopted far right themes and sought to appease far right voters, they go down in flames. Why? Because: 1. They alienate their own base. 2. They tell other voters that the far right is correct. The determination not to learn this lesson is a wonder to behold.
I am centrist. Nate is as far to the right ass as you can get without getting a maga hat.
I am genuinely curious about what he means by "Blueskyism"
🇺🇦 Zelensky: Currently, there is no greater destroyer of sports infrastructure and even the very principles of Olympism in the world than the Russian state. During the full-scale war, more than 600 Ukrainian athletes and coaches died from strikes, hundreds of our sports facilities were destroyed.
AI overview is the thrashiest of all trashy AIs.
France borrows in the #2 global reserve currency at an interest rate lower than 🇺🇸 & lower than it was from the 1990s until 2011. Political preferences over lower debt & the political economy tradeoffs involved in higher debt are not a "debt crisis."
”Chinese factories are installing about 280,000 industrial robots every year, or half the global total, bringing the country’s robot-to-worker density ahead of Germany and closing in on leader South Korea”🇨🇳 on.ft.com/42c99eH Homegrown robots help drive China’s global export surge
Vaccines are honestly the least unhealthy product I put in my body 😂
Get vaccinated.
You see, Louis XV wasn't vaccinated, and he turned out ok. He even became king!
"In Putin’s mind, Ukrainian democracy poses an existential threat to his power and the survival of his regime in Russia. A prosperous, free Ukraine would set a powerful example for Russia’s own citizens that democracy can succeed in an eastern Slavic country."
Prima facie, Elon Musk appears to be manipulating X platform for specific political voices he supports (as well as using his own account to amplify the far right & furthest right). In particular the platform dynamic has shifted & is helping Tommy Robinson to be amplified more than Nigel Farage.
One of my favourite poems ever, by my favourite poet ever.
We need "Ban MAGAs and russians from Europe" movement / petition or whatever.
💔 The price of independence is high. The children of Ukraine's fallen heroes will never forget their parents' deeds.
Russia ceasing to be an acute threat = russia doesnt exist as a unitary entity any more = the EU would become a major player. It's clear there's space for only one unifying entity in this continent.
"*don't have permanent friends, only permanent interests".
RUSSIA just attacked the President of the European Commission. But by all means, let's keep trading with them. Let's keep welcoming their tourists.
Maybe we should stop being a geo-political door mat. Politicians:
RUSSIA just attacked the President of the European Commission. But by all means, let's keep trading with them. Let's keep welcoming their tourists.
A plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen was forced to land in Bulgaria using paper maps after suspected Russian GPS jamming disabled all navigation systems at Plovdiv Airport, Financial Times reports. The aircraft circled for an hour before landing manually.
Von der Leyen’s plane hit by suspected Russian GPS interference on.ft.com/4p2wEAO
There are two things I always dread when an election comes up in Europe: 1) Russian Interference 2) Voters stupidity
Musk has shadowbanned the 10 Downing Street account on X, and is stepping up his destabilisation antics as he pushes forward his efforts to control the entirety of Britain's electric power. We have to push back against this foreign chaos-merchant dividing this country with his hate.
The anti-Western Axis is getting its shit together.
still paywalled :(
Russia only understands the language of force. Eliminating Russia's energy sector is exactly that kind of language which will resonate in Moscow, because it not only threatens the survival of the regime but Russia itself.
As I have said numerous times, no negotiations will yield peace, in the contrary. Since the beginning of this year, Russia's terrorist attacks have sharply increased thanks to appeasement.
In a world where a failed warmongering state threatens everyone else safety it's now Austria's turn.
This “explicit” is a weird editorial choice. The constitution gives the president no power over this at all. It’s not ambiguous.
This has been Trump's foreign policy strategy for the last 8 months. Trump has done nothing to pressure Russia to stop these wars.
Paywalled unfortunately
I got arrested yesterday! (real drop off from being a corporate law firm associate five months ago. or upgrade.) I was blocking vehicles leaving from ICE’s Broadview, IL, staging ground and de facto detention center at 1930 Beach St. full statement (for now) below.
NEW: The Kremlin appears to have launched a coordinated informational effort posturing military strength on the battlefield in order to shape Western thinking and falsely portray a Russian victory as inevitable.🧵(1/4) isw.pub/UkrWar083025
A downed Russian surveillance drone type Gerbera contained test footage from the Chinese factory from which it was delivered.
🇺🇸🇺🇦✈️ Trump on Ukraine: "If I could stop it, just by having a plane in the sky now and then… It would be mostly up to the Europeans, but we would help them. They need it, and we would help if we could get something done."
One European federal government. One European border. One European foreign policy. One European defence supplied with European weapons, made by European workers and engineers, financed by European tax money. Independent from the DSA. And, ruzzia must be destroyed.
With SAFE we are producing the capabilities Europe needs most. We will focus on pan-European projects from drones, cyber defence and air defence systems. For example, a comprehensive European Air Shield. It will be a strong symbol of 🇪🇺 unity in defence.
🇪🇺 ☢ "L'incertitude quant au soutien nucléaire des États-Unis contraint l' #UE à choisir entre la vulnérabilité, la dissuasion partagée ou la prolifération nucléaire." 4 Alternatives Principales : 👇
This was so predictable, blaming others for his own incompetence and inability.
✈️🚫🇺🇦 European countries are discussing a no-fly zone that would allow Ukraine to resume commercial aviation routes, - The Telegraph The scheme could be phased in, starting in the west and gradually covering more airspace until the entire country is safe enough for commercial air travel.
Seems relevant these days. www.bruegel.org/working-pape...
Here is how www.bruegel.org/working-pape...
🇫🇷🇩🇪☢️ France and Germany have agreed to begin a “strategic dialogue” on how France’s nuclear arsenal could contribute to Europe’s security, breaking a decades-old taboo. France is the EU’s only nuclear power, but its doctrine on defending European interests remains vague.
🇪🇺 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: Putin is a predator. Putin's proxies have been targeting our societies for years with hybrid attacks, cyber attacks, and the weaponizing of migrants.
The assassin was reportedly riding an electric bike. I'm afraid there can be no doubts about who ordered that.
Oh God. Andriy Parubiy, a key Euromaidan revolution figure and former Rada speaker, has been assassinated in Lviv.
💰Took years, but Viktor Orbán’s kleptocracy is finally sinking in with a wider U.S. audience—despite the smokescreen of “defending conservative family values.” One family’s very material values, for sure. Meanwhile, Orbán's son-in-law and daughter have just moved to NYC... @nypost.com
Protecting Russian oil better than Ukrainian kids - The View from the Bunker. Like & subscribe. ☕ youtu.be/r2F0lBSJtcQ
Hello serfs. In China for my annual employee review with Xi. I remain a master strategist.
Hei big & successful city dwellers ("liberal metropolitan élites" SH would say) Intertemporal comparative deprivation is a thing. People don't need to be poor or starving to get angry. It is enough they discover your consumption trends locked them out of the instagrammed lifestyle you display.
One of the most successful pedestrian streets in the world, the Strøget in Copenhagen, was filled with cars until a 2 year pedestrianization pilot project in 1962. The opposition argued “no cars means no business,” but the street has been a massive retail success, the city’s busiest shopping street.
Ukrainian drones struck multiple energy sites in Russia overnight, the General Staff reports. A refinery in Syzran, Samara region, was hit, causing a large fire, while another drone strike set ablaze a processing unit at a refinery in Krasnodar. Drones also targeted a chemical plant in Alexin, Tula.
Anhelina, her mother Nadia, and 23 other people — rest in peace, innocent souls.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: Putin is a predator. Putin's proxies have been targeting our societies for years with hybrid attacks, with cyber attacks. The weaponizing of migrants is another example.
US Trump regime is unofficially conducting clandestine influence operations across multiple allied countries including in the EU in particular the UK & France, however, Canada and Mexico face the highest threat level right now. The Trump regime ops are seemingly running in parallel with Russian ops.
🤡 A peaceful settlement should include demilitarization, denazification, as well as a neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status for Ukraine, — Russian Foreign Ministry Russian side demands “recognition of territorial realities” and “ensuring the rights of the Russian-speaking population.”
It's literally Idiocracy world
“European leaders appear willing to let Russia punch us in the face as much as they want, and are unlikely to react with force until they see Russia is about to shoot us in the head.” From this month’s reader Q&A: open.substack.com/pub/berlinbr...
🇺🇳🇺🇦 The UN Security Council will meet today at Ukraine's request for an emergency meeting to discuss Russia's large-scale air attack on Kyiv on the night of August 28.
JD Vance's behavior indicates that he believes he will be president before 2028. Dangerous AF.
The EU surrendered to Trump over trade tariffs – now it’s in danger of capitulating again | Thierry Breton
Day 1282 of Russia's all-out war is another very grim day with at least 15 civilians murdered by Putin's regime in clear attacks on residential buildings and areas of Kyiv. Here's the Ukraine-Russia thread for Thursday 28 August 2025
"Trump just wants the war in Ukraine to end. It doesn’t matter how."
Nope 😅 read it through the right lense and every single sentence reveals its sexual double meaning
Remember how mad the Chinese were when NATO hit their embassy in Belgrade in 1999? At least NATO apologized; US secretary Albright even wrote a letter to Beijing. Received any apologies from Moscow already?! I did not get the impression
Dying of AIDS isn't exactly pleasant....
We’re about to reach levels of deep concern previously unseen
Trump is threatening tariffs on any country that enforces digital rules. But this isn’t just about trade, it’s about destabilizing Europe’s democracy. Alexandra Geese, a Member of the European Parliament, argues it’s time for Europe to wake up, enforce its tech laws and build digital autonomy.
Russians are real barbarians. How do they expect to win the war by terror bombing and killing civilians? The worst terror in Europe since WWII, and it hardly gets attention in western media now. This alone should cover the first pages for days.
Reform say the would "cancel" HS2 in 2029, supposedly saving billions. Except, as you can see, it's already well under construction. So they would, in practice, just be leaving massive unusable craters across the country. They never seem to be called out on this. www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/hs2...
We can't allow ourselves to become numb to mass shootings. What happened today in Minneapolis is heartbreaking, and Michelle and I are praying for the parents who have lost a child or will be sitting at their hospital bedside after yet another act of unspeakable, unnecessary violence.
It would be a thousand times better for Labour and for Britain if the national debate were about whether to rejoin the EU or not, rather than how hard to punch down at immigrants. Instead, Labour chose to propagate Farage's argument for him by accepting it had SOME validity and trying to nuance it.
Beyond the strong ideological collusion between Trump and Putin, the US administration is primarily obsessed with returning to business as usual with Moscow. It is indifferent to everything else, particularly the fate of the Ukrainians. Europe must act accordingly. www.reuters.com/business/ene...
This is a shame for humanity and a brutal violation of all international conventions! Maybe we should post more about these barbaric acts of the Russians, so that especially those who defend and justify this criminal regime can see them.
The "Dictators Dilemma" is when the dictator would benefit from hearing accurate information, but everyone around the dictator has a very real incentive to lie in order to remain in Dear Leader's good graces. I doubt Trump hears a lot of the facts that contradict whatever he believes that day.
Is any European leader going to push back against this? Don't hold your breath. Because the way our leaders have been acting, it really is as if they've declared him president of Europe.
Moscow. A Russian tells an Uzbek that he is a slave of the "Russians". Ordinary Russian fascism. August, 2025.
🇨🇿🇺🇦 If the principle of inadmissibility of changing borders by force collapses in Ukraine, it will collapse everywhere, - Czech Foreign Minister Lipavsky. ▪️Borders should not be changed by military force, and nations should be free to choose their alliances.
🇺🇦 Zelensky: The presence of a foreign contingent is important for Ukraine as a guarantee of security, but it is too early to talk about it, first the infrastructure must be prepared, where the Ukrainian army will play a key role.
"The United States is going to great lengths to antagonize its allies," @phillipspobrien.bsky.social told Paul Krugman . "I don't get it. None of this makes any sense to me."
Kharkiv right now ❤️🩹 I’m almost crying. We’re banned from organizing celebrations. Warned against crowds and gatherings due to constant russian bombings. But we’re alive, and we’ll keep living. That’s our collective "fuck you" to russia.
The summit between Zelensky and putin should take place in the Hague — with putin holding a one-way ticket.
This is evidence of the Nazification of the US: more than 600 books have been banned in Florida. One of them is Anne Frank's diary. This is part of a broader, nationwide censorship drive against teachings about race, gender & diversity. If this continues, entire sections of history will be erased.
❗️In 🇵🇱Warsaw, activists painted the asphalt near the 🇷🇺Russian embassy in the colors of the 🇺🇦Ukrainian flag
Congratulations to all Ukrainians on your Independence Day! Your courage and hope for peace inspire all of us. We stand with you side by side. Our future is together in the European Union. Slava Ukraini!
Happy, strong and sovereign Independence Day to Ukraine!
❗️One day the distance between Ukrainians will disappear, and we will be together again as one family, as one country. Ukraine will be able to achieve peace, - Zelensky.
❗️We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in security and peace, - Zelensky on Ukraine's Independence Day. "Such a Ukraine will never again in history be forced to the shame that the "Russians" call "compromise."
