The biggest winner in this #election has been #oligarchy. #Oligarchs came out openly against #democracy and used every trick in the book to divide the American people against one another so they can rule us more directly than they have ever done in the modern era. They control #CorporateMedia and they will now strengthen their control in DC.

We have been on the road to oligarchy for a long time, and 11/5/24 will be as big a milestone on it as 1/21/10 when the Citizens United ruling was issued.

Let's roll! 🇨🇿

#17listopad #November17 #35let #35years #demokracie #democracy

I remember David Graeber's insight into #voting being a big 'Aha' moment for me:

"Majoritarian democracy was, in its origins, essentially a military institution. . . .

"It is of obvious relevance that Ancient Greece was one of the most competitive societies known to history. It was a society that tended to make everything into a public contest . . . So it might not seem entirely surprising that they made political decision-making into a public contest as well. Even more crucial though was the fact that decisions were made by a populace in arms. . . . [I]f a man is armed, then one pretty much has to take his opinions into account. . . . [E]ven if the vote was 60/40, everyone could see the balance of forces and what would happen if things actually came to blows. Every vote was, in a real sense, a conquest." #history #politics #democracy

- Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology theanarchistlibrary.org/librar…

Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology

David Graeber Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology 2004

^{The Anarchist Library}

I'm Russian living in Russia. I was 5 when Putin was 'elected'. I'm 30 now. I know that feeling of hopelessness very well. You should never surrender. Autocrats of the world are counting on you being down and depoliticized because all of this. Don't give them an easy win. Always fight, no matter how bad situation seems.

#usa #trump #election #democracy #us #uspol #USPolitics #harris #russia #putin #palestine #ukraine

Have you heard about SUPER SWING DISTRICTS yet? I posted about it already, but I am so bad at using discoverability features of this platform. So let's give it a try and just go nuts with the hashtags on this repost, to see how much those help. Super Swing Districts is a slate of *state legislature* candidates that can maximize the value of your election donation dollar in crucial swing districts: mastodon.social/@glyph/1133473…

#USPol #election #democracy #fundraising #harris #election2024

Left-wing coalition wins French elections so King Macron forms right-wing government.

Such democracy.

(In case you needed yet another reminder that fucking neoliberals will always choose fascism over social justice when they feel their wallets are threatened.)

bbc.com/news/articles/c8rd52zl…

#France #Macron #democracy

Did you miss the online conference "Sortition and Socialism" yesterday? No worries! The whole thing was recorded, for your leisure 😊

Online Conference with these presenters:

- Dr. Camila Vergara - The relation between inequality and the law, and on alternative institutional solutions to systemic corruption.
- Violeta Garrido - The epistemic demands of representative democracy
- Christiana Mauro - From grand cause platforms to embedded constituent power.
- Suryamayi Clarence-Smith - Evolving Prefigurative Politics in an Intentional Community.

#Sortition #Democracy #Socialism
yt.artemislena.eu/watch?v=UYNy…

Wednesday, July 10

Russia’s war against Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivers remarks during the opening of the NATO 75th anniversary celebratory event at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium on July 9, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

US, NATO allies to deliver 'dozens' of air defense systems in coming months, including 4 Patriots. The U.S. and at least nine other NATO allies have agreed to send dozens of air defense systems in the coming months to Ukraine, including at least four Patriot batteries, according to a joint agreement issued on July 9.

US supplies Ukraine with Metal Shark high-speed boats. The boats are equipped with modern navigation and control systems, automatic fire extinguishing, as well as a video surveillance system, making them maneuverable, fast, and ergonomic, the State Border Guard Service said.

F-16s in Ukraine may 'create conditions for counterattack,' Polish general says. "Ukrainian aviation should receive long-range missiles to destroy Russia's infrastructure, including airfields. When this happens, the logistics of the Russian army will be cut off from the main forces. If this is done, Ukraine's army command should form a strike group and strike back," Kraszewski said.

NATO summit communique to describe Ukraine's path to alliance as 'irreversible,' CNN reports. The question of how strong guarantees to give Ukraine regarding its future membership in NATO has become a key source of debate inside the alliance, CNN reported. The final version of the document may contain changes, CNN wrote, but the presence of the "irreversible" Ukraine's accession to NATO would be "a significant signal to Kyiv and Moscow."

Ukraine struck airbase, oil depot, and energy facility in Russia overnight, source says. Ukrainian intelligence agencies carried out an attack against a Russian military airfield, an energy substation, and an oil depot in three different regions overnight on July 9, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

UN assessment suggests Kyiv children's hospital suffered direct hit by Russian missile. Evidence from the scene of the children's hospital in Kyiv indicates "a high likelihood" of a direct hit by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile on July 8, the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMUN) said on July 9.

Republican Party committee approves 2024 platform, makes no mention of Ukraine, Russia. The 16-page document, which must be still approved at the upcoming Republican National Convention, focuses primarily on domestic issues.

Zelensky says Indian PM's embrace with Putin a 'huge disappointment' after Russian mass attack on Ukraine. "It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Rescue operations end at Kyiv children's hospital, at least 33 killed in capital overall

Search and rescue operations at the site of a Russian missile attack on Okhmatdyt hospital in Kyiv concluded on July 9, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Anadolu via Getty Images

F-16s, multi-billion pledge, more Patriots, 'irreversible' membership – what Ukraine will and won't get at the NATO Summit

While 75th birthdays are usually a cause for joy and celebration, NATO's marking of this milestone at a three-day summit in Washington from 9-11 July is likely to be a rather more muted affair.

Photo: Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images

Russia probes for air defense gaps to wreak havoc on Kyiv

Rather than evidence of some technological edge on Russia's side, experts linked the destruction wrought by the attack to Moscow's consistent probing for weaknesses in Ukrainian air defenses.

Photo: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images

Russian propagandists spin conflicting disinformation in bid to evade responsibility for missile strike on children’s hospital

As some Russian talking heads call for more Ukrainians to be killed, Zelensky’s top aide urges more Western help to stop a war of ‘genocide.’

Photo: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Rescue operations end at Kyiv children's hospital, at least 33 killed in capital overall. In total, at least 33 people, including four children, were killed in Kyiv as a result of the July 8 attack, officials said the following day. Another 10 children are among the 117 injured.

International response

Saudi Arabia issued vague threats to G7 against seizing frozen Russian assets, Bloomberg reports. Saudi officials reportedly made "veiled threats" to Group of Seven (G7) nations hinting that the kingdom would sell some European debt holdings if Western allies seized about $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, Bloomberg reported on July 9, citing its sources.

North Korean military trainers travel to Russia weeks after signing of partnership agreement. A delegation of North Korean military trainers led by the head of a prestigious military academy in Pyongyang has begun a trip to Russia, North Korean state media reported on July 9.

'When innocent children killed, the heart bleeds,' Modi comments on Russian July 8 attack after meeting with Putin. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow on July 8 in what was his first trip to Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Threat of Russian sabotage led to heightened security at US military bases in Europe, CNN reports. The heightened security alert was first reported earlier in July as being connected to a possible terrorist threat directed at several U.S. military installations across Europe, including the facility in Germany where the U.S. European Command is based.

US announces moves against Russia-linked bot farm aimed at spreading disinformation. According to the Justice Department, the bot farm was organized by a Russian national who worked as the deputy editor-in-chief of RT in 2022, and expanded with funding from the Kremlin and collaboration with an official from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

Moscow court orders arrest in absentia of Yulia Navalnaya. A Moscow court said that it had "approved the request of the investigators and decided a preventive measure in the form of detention for two months." Yulia Navalnaya currently lives outside of Russia, but would face jail time if she returns.

Bulgaria sues Russian Gazprom, seeking compensation of more than $430 million. In 2023, the Russian gas giant suspended Bulgargaz's long-term contract, which covered 90% of the quantities of natural gas delivered by Bulgargaz to customers.

Switzerland announces new sanctions against Russia. Switzerland announced new sanctions against Russia on July 8, bringing the country further in line with the EU's 14th round of sanctions adopted in response to the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow agrees to discharge all Indians recruited into Russian army, Indian outlet reports. Moscow agreed to release all Indians serving in the Russian army and facilitate their return after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Vladimir Putin, Indian news publication NDTV reported on July 9, citing unnamed sources.

US provides Poland with $2 billion for financing of F-35s, Patriots, Abrams. The U.S. will provide Poland with a second $2 billion Foreign Military Financing loan to purchase defense equipment from the U.S., the State Department announced on July 8.

In other news

Ukrainian state defense company opens office in US. Ukraine's state-owned defense company Ukrainian Defense Industry, also known as Ukroboronprom, has opened a representative office in Washington as Kyiv seeks to strengthen defense partnerships abroad amid Russia's war.

Nearly $37,000 stolen from bank accounts of fallen soldiers in Dnipro. The suspects, with the help of an employee of the Regional Bureau of Forensic Medicine, stole payment cards and mobile phones registered in the online banking system from dead soldiers in a morgue.

Ukraine to be represented at 2024 Olympics by smallest number of athletes in history. Only 140 Ukrainian athletes will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris this year, the smallest number in the history of the country's participation in the games, as Russia's war has damaged or destroyed sports' facilities and frequent air raid alerts interrupt training.

EU freezes $32 million in defense funds for Georgia, halts accession process amid ‘low point’ in relations. Brussels has frozen 30 million euros ($32 million) in defense sector funding for Georgia after halting its EU accession process in June, EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski said on July 9.

Bloomberg names 12 oligarchs who earn billions in payouts from Russia's war economy. Russia's wartime economy has earned a dozen oligarchs $11 billion in dividends as Russian natural resource and finance giants earn record profits during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on July 9.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Dmytro Basmat, Abbey Fenbert, Nate Ostiller, Kateryna Denisova, Elsa Court, Martin Fornusek, Chris York, Oleksiy Sorokin, Kateryna Hodunova, and Lili Bivings.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program_**. Start supporting independent journalism today.**_

#russia #china #iran #northkorea #propaganda #democracy #ruleoflaw #maga

“Autocrats in China, Russia, and elsewhere are now making common cause with MAGA Republicans to discredit liberalism and freedom around the world.”

1/

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

Russia and China Are Winning the Propaganda War

^{Anne Applebaum (The Atlantic)}

I am constantly amazed at all the ways we continue to allow religious institutions to directly impact the function of our democracy despite the Establishment Clause essentially telling us to maybe not:
motherjones.com/politics/2024/…

via:
researchbuzz.masto.host/@resea…

#accessibility #democracy

Churches don't have to be accessible. That's a voting rights problem.

In 2024, millions of people will vote at religious sites. What if you're disabled?

^{Mother Jones}

I always enjoy opportunities to learn from Audrey Tang - @au - her recent interview in the podcast #YourUndividedAttention is no exception. In "Future-proofing Democracy In the Age of AI with Audrey Tang" raises important questions about #AI & #Democracy. What do we need to do now to help prepare citizens for #DeepFakes. Important to hear about the role #Taiwan is playing in #ResponsibleAI.

2024 is an election year for almost half of the world's population.

your-undivided-attention.simpl…

The Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg "I refuse to participate in the normalization of Donald Trump."

The Atlantic published a special edition of its monthly magazine focusing on what a second Trump term would look like.
theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

"He points out that his position is not a partisan one. It's 'not about Republicans and Democrats," he stressed, but "about authoritarians versus pro-democracy Americans.' "

Kudos to Goldberg and #TheAtlantic

#Journalism #Democracy

1/2

What Trump Could Do With a Second Term

The staff of The Atlantic on the threat a second term poses to American democracy.

^{The Atlantic}

Latest comic on a Delaware town's bill that would allow LLCs and other corporations to vote in local elections:

#democracy #voting #plutocracy

“Prince Harry Talks About ‘Global Assault On Democracy’ In Emotional UN Address”

Prince … Talks About ‘Global Assault On Democracy’

Prince … Democracy

🤔

huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/pri…

#monarchy #democracy

Prince Harry Talks About 'Global Assault On Democracy' In Emotional UN Address

The Duke of Sussex delivered the keynote address at the United Nations on Monday on behalf of Nelson Mandela International Day.

^{Carly Ledbetter (HuffPost UK)}

“TikTok poses an unacceptable national security risk due to its extensive data harvesting being combined with Beijing’s apparently unchecked access to that sensitive data.” – Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

This is true.

Now replace TikTok with Facebook, Snapchat, <insert Silicon Valley Big Tech corporation or startup here> and Beijing with Washington, DC and…

This is also true.

🤔

blog.malwarebytes.com/privacy-…

#peopleFarming #surveillanceCapitalism #BigTech #humanRights #democracy

TikTok is “unacceptable security risk” and should be removed from app stores, says FCC

According to the FCC commissioner, TikTok being a video app is the "sheep's clothing", suggesting a wolf hides underneath those funny videos.

^{Jovi Umawing (Malwarebytes)}

Know that there are politicians in the West who drool at the thought of being able to do to you what China does to its citizens.

inkl.com/a/oYyoNPiyXxy

#surveillance #control #democracy #freedom

Hacker claims major Chinese citizens' data theft

Beijing (AFP) - A hacker claiming to have stolen personal data from hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens is now…

^inkl

When in doubt, throw the Kurds under a bus.

Congratulations to Sweden and Finland for giving in to a genocidal dictator’s demands.

inkl.com/a/jXGVVJTvWgv

#kurds #erdoğan #nato #turkey #sweden #finland #democracy #autocracy #europeanValues

Turkey agrees to back Finland, Sweden NATO bid

Turkey agreed to lift opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding the summit.

^inkl

✨️ I made a thing! 🎉️

Check out my brandnew webcomic, "Contra Chrome":

👉️ contrachrome.com

Subtitle: How #Google‘s browser became a threat to #privacy and #democracy.

Featuring Shoshana Zuboff, vegan Piranhas, and everything you ever wanted to know about #Chrome but were afraid to ask!

Read and download for free – hope you like it! 😊

And if you do, please spread the word!

#BoostsWelcome
#comic #comics