Julia Ioffe

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Glad we got rid of waste fraud and abuse

Munich Notes, Hegseth vs. Anthropic & Europe’s Greenlanditis Julia Ioffe Hello, and welcome back to The Best & The Brightest. I’m Julia Ioffe, just returned from an eventful Munich Security Conference. The flight back to Dulles was packed with D.C. machers: Rab...

Rubio's Munich speech told a very specific story of American immigration: white and Christian.

“That occurred to me too,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who is Jewish, confided after. “I’m not a part of this?”

puck.news/newsletter_c...

Holy shit! MOTHERLAND has won a National Jewish Book Award!!!

😂

If you really want to know what went down at the Munich Security Conference—and especially Rubio‘s widely mischaracterized “conciliatory” speech—you’ve got to read JuliaIoffe@bsky.social.https://puck.news/inside-lindsey-grahams-greenland-meltdown-in-munich/

La La Greenland At the Munich Security Conference, American lawmakers struggled to reassure European allies who are still traumatized by Trump’s threats to invade Greenland. Lindsey Graham’s F-bombs didn’t help.

On Saturday, Sen. Lindsey Graham unloaded on the PMs of Greenland and Denmark, telling them that if Trump wanted to take Greenland, they'd just have to deal with it. “Lots of F-bombs,” said one person in attendance.

My latest.

puck.news/inside-linds...

Nicki Minaj's timing is impeccable.

Oh, and she had a career US ambassador fired for displaying [checks notes] "Satanic baby art"

I'm trying to formulate my thoughts about Don Lemon's arrest in terms other than "I told you so" and "it's only going to get worse, buckle up."

The “MAGA Barbie” Redecorating the State Department Erin Elmore, the former ‘Apprentice’ contestant now running the Art in Embassies program, has transformed her vanity appointment—and close relationship with the Trumps—into a political weapon, defenes...

Her license plate says "EW LIBS," she's marrying Dan Scavino this weekend, and she's in charge of all art in all US embassies and consulates. Who is this MAGA mean girl?

My latest.

puck.news/the-maga-bar...

You don't get to quote scripture like a lullaby
While injustice stays wide awake.

Priscilla Alvarez @priscialva BREAKING: Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are expected to leave Minneapolis and return to their respective sectors, sources tell me, @KristenhCNN + @kaitlancollins .

CNN reports that Bovino is leaving Minnesota

Walz: "To Americans who are watching this, I've got a question for you: What side do you want to be on? The side of an all powerful federal govt that can kill, injury, menace, & kidnap its citizens off the streets? Or on the side of a nurse at the VA hospital who died bearing witness to such govt?"

Also true.

Just a small sample of the challenges our military would have to face—in addition to the illegality of attacking a treaty ally.

The Greenland Mile After claiming the “framework of a deal” to expand America’s presence on the world’s largest island, Trump has dropped his threats to invade Greenland. Thank God, because a direct assault on Greenland...

Good thing Trump took using force to conquer Greenland off the table. Because, according to the generals and admirals who would have to do it, it would be a total nightmare.

My latest.
puck.news/why-invading...

Motherland by Julia Ioffe review – the matriarchs who built mother Russia A journalist uses family and political history to paint a portrait of a country in turmoil through its women

I just read "Motherland," by Julia Ioffe @juliaioffe.bsky.social and it is revelatory, beautifully-written, and quite sad.

Most moving are the portraits of Ioffe's foremothers. Two of her great-grandmothers were doctors; so were her mother and grandmother.

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...

This book is vital modern history from @juliaioffe.bsky.social Read it, especially the unbearable parts. Learn from history- how misogyny is inherent to authoritarianism, and the total oblivion of the human spirit for *all* people at the end of patriarchy's dark corridor. This is the human struggle.

The Havana Hangover After years of denials, Washington is finally reckoning with new reporting that would seem to confirm the existence of the alleged Russian directed-energy weapon that causes Havana syndrome

According to @christogrozev, the weapon thought to be responsible for Havana Syndrome was purchased from Ukraine's HUR, which had purchased it from a Russian. The Ukrainians apparently needed money to fund their mission.

My latest.

puck.news/havana-syndr...

He's happily married

lololol

The Big Olowski Has Left the Building Lew Olowski, the State Department’s wacky, polarizing head of H.R., is said to have imploded at his farewell party when he learned that he wasn’t getting a coveted assignment.

Lew Olowski, the Monster energy drink-swilling, Jesus-and-dolphin speech-giving, head of State Dept HR is out after an epic office meltdown.

My latest.

puck.news/lew-olowski-...

The Big Olowski Has Left the Building Lew Olowski, the State Department’s wacky, polarizing head of H.R., is said to have imploded at his farewell party when he learned that he wasn’t getting a coveted assignment.

Lew Olowski, the Monster energy drink-swilling, Jesus-and-dolphin speech-giving, head of State Dept HR is out after an epic office meltdown.

My latest.

puck.news/lew-olowski-...

Well, in classic fashion, Putin and Trump upstaged everything.

Thanks for reading and for your kind words.

YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Julia Ioffe: The Soviet Union Was Once The Vanguard Of World Feminism

Went on The Late Show with my beloved Stephen Colbert last night to talk about Venezuela and MOTHERLAND!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJWW...

Thank you!