DEinDC

Astonishing to hear the same "regime change" fantasies pushed after 20+ years of fallout from it not working. I mean wtf

Green party wins Gorton and Denton byelection, pushing Labour to third place Hannah Spencer elected as party’s first MP in northern England as vote share for Keir Starmer’s party plummets

Leading indicator for the return of real people to politics?

Hannah Spencer, a 34 year old plumber and gas engineer, wins Gorton and Denton by election.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers More citizens are replanting overseas, drawn by a quality of life made easily affordable by the U.S.’s enviable salaries.

"The new American dream, for some of its citizens, is to no longer live there."
www.wsj.com/us-news/amer...

BREAKTHROUGH: Consciousness Creates the Simulation | Dr. Donald Hoffman Podcast Episode · THIRD EYE DROPS · February 17 · 2h 41m

Consciousness creates the simulation: always enjoy listening to Dr Donald Hoffman
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Can Europe Ever Thrive Again? The continent’s survival isn’t a question. The brightness of its future very much is.

The title of “Can Europe Survive?” is somewhat of a distraction. The real question is whether Europe will move at the speed of relevancy to boost its own geoeconomic and geopolitical vitality, writes Theodore Bunzel.

U.S. politics like an exploding star throwing off gamma rays.

💯 👉🏾 “When you don't know anything, AI feels smart.”

Jesse Jackson "At the end of the day, we must go forward with hope and not backward by fear and division."

"At the end of the day, we must go forward with hope and not backward by fear and division."

substack.com/@deindc/note...

Speech by Federal Chancellor at the Munich Security Conference | Federal Government Read the Chancellor´s speech at the Munich Security Conference here.

“In an era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone.”

www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/fede...

As defence chiefs, we warn you today about Russia, and say this rearmament is not warmongering | Richard Knighton and Carsten Breuer Our security is more uncertain than in decades. But by working together, and by showing strength, Britain, Germany and the rest of Europe can preserve peace, say defence chiefs Richard Knighton and Ca...

The urgency:

“As defence chiefs, we warn you today about Russia, and say this rearmament is not warmongering”| Richard Knighton and Carsten Breuer

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

RIP Rev. Jesse Jackson
#trailblazer
#hero

Fascinating conversation.

Chat GPT and the other tools have had the effect of giving me greater appreciation for the hard but useful challenge of wrestling with ideas, thinking through them, putting them “on paper”, and working through the process. That’s knowledge and skill that, however imperfect, is worth holding onto.

Your piece brought back similar memories and the experience of having an editor or teacher deconstruct your work. A character building experience!

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

-- Mark Twain

Elephant Bone in Spain May Be Proof of Hannibal’s Tanks With Trunks

Elephant Bone in Spain May Be Proof of Hannibal’s Tanks With Trunks www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/s...

“Copium”

CaughtOffside on X: "🚨 Pep Guardiola hits back at Jim Ratcliffe: "We treat immigrants or people that come from other countries like they are the ones causing problems for our country. It's a big problem because the fact I am Catalan and you are British? What influence did we have on where we were https://t.co/INEjYwpsEZ" / X 🚨 Pep Guardiola hits back at Jim Ratcliffe

Said better than any of the political “elites” I’ve heard:

x.com/caughtoffsid...

Climate diplomacy has moved beyond the days of a single grand bargain Environmental governance is fragmenting into trade deals and beyond, and the Global South is adapting.

“Developing countries are learning to operate in a fragmented climate order where traditional leadership is fading,” writes Sharon Sarah Thawaney in The Interpreter.
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/climate-diplomacy-has-moved-beyond-days-single-grand-bargain

Number of Americans who expect ‘high quality lives’ drops to two-decade low Around 60 percent said they expected their lives would be significantly better in the future, roughly nine percentage points lower than during the pandemic.

Number of Americans who expect ‘high quality lives’ drops to two-decade low

wapo.st/4s1EfjZ

Yep. American soft power was the special sauce for the empire. Even in times when U.S. policy was controversial or flat out wrong, it brought tremendous good will.

How to Learn AI With AI Podcast Episode · The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis · 02/08/2026 · 17m

Useful podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

I’m all about the GLP-1s 🇺🇸

Super Bowl and the commercials remind me that the U.S. does a first rate job at storytelling and propaganda.

Will F1 fans be able to understand the racing in 2026? As F1's 2026 revolution starts, the series faces an uncomfortable question: can fans comprehend racing where the most crucial battles are invisible?

There’s a possibility that F1’s mainstream appeal could be endangered if it asks casual viewers to understand energy harvesting strategies and electrical deployment modes.

www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/sin...

Killers without a cause: The rise in nihilistic violent extremism Amid a burst of high-profile targeted violence, authorities have identified a new source of terror.

“I’m angry that I exist and that nobody got my consent to bring me here”

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

open.spotify.com/track/6u91CC...

You thought it was just Carney in Beijing this January?

The West wants an 'outside option' from US bullying....
"new world order" is about building the material basis of their sovereignty: ppl's wellbeing, energy, tech & the future
@katemac.bsky.social & I:
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/bri...

YouTube video by ChildishGambinoVEVO Childish Gambino - This Is America (Official Video)

👇🏾
youtu.be/VYOjWnS4cMY?...

BREAKING: The UK Government is working with Canada and Australia to launch a coordinated ban on X, per the Telegraph