Joshua Livestro

NYT article “How ICE Plans to Put 8,500 Immigrants in This Warehouse,” with the comment “Experts say the initial designs raise health, safety and security concerns.” The image is a vertical floorplan with pods tightly packed that resembles diagrams of slave ships in abolitionist literature from the 18th century

The person who made this image is well versed in the iconography of the transatlantic slave trade.

If you’re roughly my age, it’s wild to reflect on the optimism for the future Americans felt when Obama was elected — young Americans spontaneously took to the streets to celebrate! — and contrast with what we face today. The falloff over the past 18 years is hard to process.

Frits Bolkestein: “Hoe saaier de politiek, des te gelukkiger het land”

In 2024-25 the Netherlands had a populist-right government that yanked away a price floor and let the country’s budding heat-pump industry collapse. How many more Dutch households might have gotten off gas by now if they hadn’t?

Sacrilege

Rabobank on the unfolding worst case scenario:

Polls have closed in the first of this year's five German state elections, in prosperous Baden-Württemberg. It's looking like a remarkable win-from-behind by the Greens under @oezdemir.de. Full results over the course of the evening.

Short may he reign

What’s the government gonna do about it?

Hallucinatory

Overheden hebben zich door de eeuwen heen gespecialiseerd in het ontwikkelen van methoden voor het meetbaar maken van dat wat ze willen belasten. Als we werkelijk extra belastinginkomsten willen genereren door extreem rijken hoger te belasten, dan vinden we wel een methode.

This too is a war crime

Pure espresso in his veins

Civilizational failure

Ja wat kan een homoseksuele man als Jetten nu weten van veilig over straat lopen?

And just like that we’re back to “Department of Defense”

Do note though that this referendum would merely restart the negotiation process for membership that was suspended a decade ago

They think, or at least pretend to think, that this doesn’t sound like obvious cope to everyone in the world

It’s an entire White House comms shop built on the premise of “my hot girlfriend lives in Canada” being believed by normal people

D66 en CDA: zwak, zwak, zwak

Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO.

Starmer has finally found a wedge issue on which he sides with the majority of voters ànd the overwhelming majority of his party’s base. But he comes across as being afraid to accept that this means he has a conflict with Trump, so unlike Spain’s Pedro Sanchez he won’t gain anything from it.

Jetten mag premier zijn maar de VVD regeert het land

Is the tide turning?

Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and even Italy are now following the path opened by Spain in claiming international law and preventing the use of their bases to attack Iran.

Unexpected

This reminds me of the Abraham Lincoln quote that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet

Defense executives plan to meet at White House as strikes on Iran diminish stockpiles: Reuters The Trump administration plans to meet with executives from the biggest U.S. defense contractors at the White House on Friday, according to Reuters.

The US is not bluffing about low stocks of Patriots. Trump has a crisis meeting in the White House tomorrow with defence execs, including of the companies that produce Patriot missiles: www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/03/...

They have already used Patriots to down Iranian missiles. The resulting shortage of them makes it even less likely they’ll be involved in any deal. Zelenskyy knows this.

Important from Punchbowl News:

"Republicans would prefer to keep their hands clean on the conflict for as long as possible, especially given the uncertainty over how long this could last and how it’ll play politically."

As I've been arguing, Rs don't want to be saddled with this (see below)

That won’t work, they need those themselves. More likely to succeed is an ask for money.