Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️

Removing US troops from Al-Tanf, Syria, is a wise step, says Cato’s Jon Hoffman. The troops there served no purpose for the US and needlessly endangered the lives of American servicemembers.

https://ow.ly/hPBt50YgaIc

The heads of Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Tesla all joined Trump at his inauguration.

Since then, largely thanks to Trump's Big Ugly Bill, their companies have reaped $51B in federal tax breaks — paid for by huge cuts to our social safety net.

This is what oligarchy looks like.

'I like him and he likes him': How Lindsey Graham maintains his alliance with Trump The South Carolina GOP senator is using golf, good humor and frequent White House visits to try to influence foreign policy and keep Trump close as he faces a primary challenge.

The South Carolina GOP senator is using golf, good humor and frequent White House visits to try to influence foreign policy and keep Trump close as he faces a primary challenge.

Taiwan to launch international drone academy and boost global reach | Taiwan News | Feb. 13, 2026 14:49 Academy to offer pilot training, UAV repair and certification for democratic allies | Feb. 13, 2026 14:49

"The drone academy will train pilots and technicians from democratic allies as part of Taiwan's 'drone diplomacy' strategy www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6302591

a graph about wealth concentration

N of 1, but I think this is a good measure of the difference between X and Bluesky.
Zucman has 120K followers on X and his post on wealth concentration got 87 reposts/182 likes. One Bluesky he has 24.5K followers and the same post 327 reposts and 938 likes.

Notice: "Your FICO score decreased by 24 points since February 07, 2026." The 'reason' that paying off our mortgage balance "hurt" our credit score is apparently that we now are in the "thin file" category, with less evidence that we can manage debt.

Tiny violin/why people hate banks dept:

—Two weeks ago we had chance finally to *pay off* full mortgage balance. Were in final 2 yrs anyway.

—How would that affect our credit score? The magicians at FICO let us know.

No "real" effect on us. (And I know the 'reason,' in ALT.) But still.

Videos Plagiarized, Reposted with False Subtitles Claiming ‘Ryukyu Belongs to China’; Anti-China False Information Also Posted in Japan <p>Online videos of Japanese women have been plagiarized and reposted on social media with false Chinese subtitles claiming “Ryukyu (Okinawa Prefecture) belongs to China.”</p>

Japanese women’s videos plagiarised and reposted with false subtitles claiming ‘Ryukyu belongs to China’; anti-China false information also posted in Japan – The Yomiuri Shimbun

🛸 Really enjoying RED BOOK, a Dark Horse series looking at the stories of alien / UFO encounters in Soviet Russia and in the People’s Republic of China. Wild and weird — and I love the art style.

This argument is absolute lunacy.

AOC hit with social media backlash after appearing to struggle with question about US defending Taiwan Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced backlash online after appearing to struggle with a reporter's question on Taiwan defense at the Munich Security Conference Friday.

"Um, you know, I think that this is such a, you know, I think that this is a um — this is, of course, a, um, very long-standing, um, policy of the United States," she responded."

💯👇, she needs to serve at least one term in the Senate.

That is the problem right there.

Understand the sentiment about Fox being just the worst. But you do not, under any circumstances, gotta hand it to Chinese state media.

Sen. Mark Kelly's lawyer urges DOJ officials not to seek indictment for a second time over video A second attempt to indict a group of Democratic lawmakers over the "illegal orders" video would be "a remarkable abuse of the Department’s power," Kelly's lawyer wrote.

A second attempt to indict a group of Democratic lawmakers over the "illegal orders" video would be "a remarkable abuse of the Department’s power," Kelly's lawyer wrote.

😂😂😂😂😂

“Win-Win” with Chinese Characteristics, always achieve “🇨🇳 = two wins” in a “win-win” scenario.

Exploiting Africa’s natural resources while avoiding self-taxation. While Africa walks away with less prosperity and resources.

CIA urges Chinese government officials to spy for US in Mandarin video CIA urges Chinese government officials to spy for US in Mandarin video Central Intelligence Agency

"I cannot let these madmen shape the world of my daughter's future." cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/5fJ...

She jumped into the thread and then spread a lot of incredibly uninformed PRC propaganda. It's tiresome to keep seeing the same nonsense but that is the way it propaganda works.

Notes from Central Taiwan: Imaginings of another Taiwan - Taipei Times Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

This column covers the support for Taiwan Independence in the '20s and '30s among educated Chinese. This debate continued until around 1949 and appeared in official PRC newspapers and magazines, when the PRC authorities finally shut it all down.
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...

Notes from Central Taiwan: Nothing inevitable about Taiwan’s status - Taipei Times Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

You can start with this short column of mine on the debates among US policy makers and in the mainstream press about what to do with Taiwan in the 1945-50 era
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...

Donald Trump is historically unpopular and does not reflect the values of the American people.

YouTube video by Munich Security Conference Spotlight on Transatlantic Cooperation from the Bottom Up | Public Square

Taking the stage at @munsecconf.bsky.social to discuss how California can support international cooperation at the local and subnational level.

Hissing booth. 50 cents hisses, one dollar scratches. Brown white and black catto at the booth.

Good meeting with Lindsey Graham and a bipartisan delegation of US Senators.

Now is the time to raise the costs of Russia’s war higher than ever.

To bring Putin to the negotiating table with genuine intent.

Sanctions work.

And they work best when coordinated.

This is a line‑in‑the‑sand moment for separation of powers and for free elections. Trump is saying there “will be” new voting rules “whether approved by Congress or not,” and every member of Congress should be pushing back loudly, in public, right now. #holdfast

Americans Oppose Ceding the Donbas to Russia Amid Push for Peace Deal They are also divided on the United States’ participation in Europe’s “Coalition of the Willing” to defend a ceasefire in Ukraine.

A majority of Americans consider allowing Moscow to acquire the Ukrainian territories seized by Russia in the current war unacceptable (67%). globalaffairs.org/research/pub...

Very good meeting with Dr. Sultan Al Jaber.

We appreciate the United Arab Emirates’ engagement in hosting peace talks and supporting the reconstruction of Ukraine.

You've got to assume that leaders of the Western states—and I very intentionally include Japan in that group—all understand that the present absence of American leadership is not the same thing as the absence of America.

⚠️Industrial strength clothes pins may be required for temporary nose holding.

NEW: The Utah GOP’s effort to repeal the state's voter-approved gerrymandering ban isn’t going as well as it had hoped.

Thousands of fraudulent petition signatures have Republicans scrambling for last minute adds ahead of a Sunday deadline, making failure seem more likely.
https://bit.ly/4awuNhk