I suspect we are going to have a rocky week ahead.
Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night! Let’s try that again. Live from New York, it’s Donnie’s first criminal trial. For real!
News from NY: Judge Merchan has DENIED Trump’s motion for him to recuse. Unsurprising, but great news nonetheless!
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She really is Putin’s puppet, isn’t she? She is talking about “Ukrainian Nazis”.
Funny, Putin said the same thing 🤔 https://t.co/5BXYi9IkdC
— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) April 14, 2024
Though I do have to agree with her on one thing. They should have been separate bills because Ukraine is being fucking attacked night after night after night. I completely believe that Bibi launched his attack on Iran as a way to tie President Biden’s hands as he was this close to telling Bibi no more weapons until you stop what you’re doing, for real.
I hope this is an indication that Biden’s pressure on Bibi is working.
A week after stating that a date has been set for a southern Gaza – Rafah operation, Israeli PM Netanyahu has decided to postpone the operation. -Kann News pic.twitter.com/4sSJDF1ugL
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) April 14, 2024
Take the win, Bibi. Take the fucking win.
“You got a win. Take the win.”
That’s really good advice from Biden to Netanyahu.
Early on, this Iranian attack looked like it might have been worst case scenario. Thankfully, it turned out to be mostly noise and bluster.
Israel should use this opportunity to deescalate. https://t.co/MWQisCGOpt
— Angry Staffer 🌻 (@Angry_Staffer) April 14, 2024
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GOP has to choose now:
America, Israel, Ukraine, the West
or
Trump, Russia, Iran, Hamas https://t.co/NfwRjuiK1P— Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) April 13, 2024
Such a relief to have competence on our side.
Say the obvious: the last week was a tour de force of international crisis management for the Biden White House. https://t.co/pAyFdMy5lq via @TPM
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 14, 2024
Josh Marshall (TPM)
The U.S. telegraphed more or less exactly what Iran was going to do via extremely good intelligence (reminiscent of the lead up to the invasion of Ukraine). It undoubtedly played a huge role bringing Jordan, Saudi Arabia and likely other Arab states into active and public armed action in defense of Israel. It positioned and deployed U.S. anti-ballistic destroyers and aerial assets to itself shoot down roughly a hundred of the estimated 300+ aerial devices Iran launched at Israel. Together, Israel, the U.S. and various allied Arab states took down 99% or more of all those devices. Iran launched a massive aerial bombardment and virtually none of it got through. And now the U.S. has managed to get Israel not to launch an immediate and inevitably escalatory retaliation.
It goes without saying that no administration works on its own. It comes to the game with the world’s most powerful military and major power status. It’s operating with Arab allies who have been gravitating toward a de facto anti-Iran alliance with Israel for years. And yet, anyone who knows anything about foreign or defense policy knows that most of it is all the endless number of things that can wrong and the one or two ways they can go right. Navigating the last week to this point today is a tour de force of international crisis management for the Biden White House.
Open thread.