#Hungary Helps Program

[fandfnews]

Hungarian State Secretary Tristan Azbej outlines Hungary's collaborative approach to African development

[metamorphesque]

On February 19, 2004, 26-year-old Armenian Army Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan was asleep in his room in Budapest, where he had come to participate in a NATO-sponsored Partnership for Peace program — a mission meant to promote cooperation and understanding between nations. But instead of peace, he met unimaginable brutality.

In the dead of night, azeri officer ramil safarov crept into his room, armed with an axe. Without hesitation, he delivered 16 savage blows to Gurgen’s defenseless, sleeping body, brutally hacking him to death. Sixteen times. Sixteen blows to a young man who never even had a chance to defend himself. Sixteen blows of pure hatred by a cowardly bastard from a tribe bred to hate and ravage.

And what did safarov do after this unspeakable crime, you'd ask? He didn’t deny it. He didn’t hide. He proudly admitted to the murder, claiming he had done it simply because Gurgen was Armenian. He even declared that if given the chance, he would have killed another. No remorse. No regret. No shame.

This is how Gurgen's Hungarian roommate, Kuti Balash, remembers the evening before the murder: “Gurgen and I were sharing a room at the dormitory. The evening before the murder I was watching a football match between Armenia and Hungary, while Gurgen was sitting at the desk preparing his homework. He just came back from the gym.” Staying with them on the same floor were participants of different nationalities, including ramil safarov and another azerbaijani officer. Balash mentions that there were no conflicts among any members of the group. The subject of international conflicts was discussed only once, during the first day of getting acquainted, but nobody spoke of it afterwards.

On the evening of February 18, Balash had tea and went to bed, as he had fever, while Gurgen Margaryan kept on studying. Around 9:30 p.m. Margaryan went to visit another program participant from Armenia, Hayk Makuchyan, who was staying in another room.

Balash does not remember when Gurgen came back, but early in the morning he felt that someone turned on the light. He thought it was Gurgen returning to the room, but after hearing some muffled sounds, he turned his head away from the wall and saw the azerbaijani officer standing by Gurgen’s bed, with a long axe in his hands.

“By that time I understood that something terrible had happened for there was blood all around. I started to shout at the azerbaijani urging him to stop it. He said that had no problems with me and would not touch me, stabbed Gurgen a couple of more times and left. The expression of his face was as if he was glad he had finished something important. Greatly shocked, I ran out of the room to find help, and ramil went in another direction.”

What happened next testifies that the murder had been planned in advance. It was not a crime of a personal motivations between Gurgen and ramil. Immediately after murdering Lieutenant Margaryan, ramil safarov went to the room of the second Armenian officer, to finish with him as well.

That morning, after committing his first murder, ramil went to Makuchyan's room with an intention to kill him. In the corridor, meeting a classmate from Uzbekistan who came out of the room after hearing suspicious noise, ramil offered him to come and assist him in killing the second Armenian. The Uzbek tried to calm the murderer down but did not manage to stop him.

Afterwards everyone confessed that they were frightened to approach ramil with a blood-stained axe closer than at three meters. Approaching Makuchyan’s room, ramil tried to open it by shaking its handle. As Makuchyan confessed, he usually had a habit of locking doors, unlike Gurgen, but that night he forgot to do it, and the door was locked by his Lithuanian roommate.

Being unable to open the door, ramil started to shout out Makuchyan's name in a threatening voice. Half asleep, Hayk went towards the door to open it, but his Lithuanian roommate managed to save him for the second time. He stopped Hayk from opening the door, as he thought that there was a real threat in safarov's voice and that he might be armed. To make sure, he phoned to another Lithuanian who lived at the same corridor asking him to check whether safarov was armed and what was going on at all. Meanwhile, safarov went to look for Hayk in the room of the Serbian and the Ukrainian roommates, showing them the blood-stained axe and stating that he thirsted for nobody's blood but Armenian. Hayk Makuchyan was told afterwards, that ramil ran to the room of another azerbaijani officer, told him something in azerbaijani, and then ran and stabbed the door of Makuchyan’s room three times with an axe. By that time the second Lithuanian and the police approached.

Justice? There was none. Though Hungary sentenced him to life in prison, in 2012, Hungary handed him over to azerbaijan, 'believing he would serve his sentence' (An investigation by a Hungarian news agency reveals that azerbaijan has used a $3 billion slush fund to facilitate safarov's release and extradition).

The moment he stepped onto azeri soil, safarov was greeted as a hero. A hero! Not only was he pardoned by azerbaijan’s president aliev, but he was promoted, given a home, back pay for his years in prison, and welcomed like a champion—for killing a SLEEPING Armenian.

So, if you ever find yourself sharing a space with an azeri, you'd better make sure the door is locked.

[cowboy-robooty]

MY LE AWEZOME ANGEL DEMON HETALIA AU!!!!!!!!!!!! now lots of this art is old as shit because ive had this in the making for forever.... but its better to unveil it now rather than never amiright? i have a lot more art for this au already drawn and I'll post it later but heres the basic rundown intro to dis world (me trying my best to condense it as much as I can) ^_^

CHARACTERS:

Italy: He's an exorcist with his older brother Romano. They work at a dingy church managed by Hungary and Austria and they both suck at exorcising demons (that's why their church looks like a piece of shit). Italy is a fucking pussy and almost dies all the time, especially because Romano keeps giving him all the ultra scary hardcore demons since he's like "ermm fratello you take this one. i did like 60 easy demons last week go do this one that will definitely kill me". He has Germany wrapped around his finger since one day when he was tasked with exorcising a super scary demon he didn't have enough to sacrifice to successfully summon an angel to come to his aid, so in a fit of panic he instead tried summoning a demon. Germany is the one who appeared and helped out Italy and also generally feels worried for Italy because he's like "how the fuck have you even survived this long?". And now Italy just always summons Germany for help and general bullshit because he found out Germany will literally do anything and goes out of his way to help out Italy and is way cheaper to summon than an angel. He keeps Germany a secret from Austria and Hungary though since they'd FREAK if they knew he had a demon helping him out with literally everything. Italy does exorcisms because he has a goal of ascending his soul to become an angel to reunite with grandpa rome, since as a child him and romano were raised by grandpa rome as their guardian angel. Germany is now helping him out with that goal and also providing him company and cookies. Itager is real but that will be explained more later. His holy item is rosary beads with a cross attached. When an angel weilds it then the beads become a safety wrist strap and the cross becomes a white flag. But in times of need and great synergy it can also become a scythe.

Romano: Italy's older brother who works as an exorcist alongside him. His exorcisms suck for the opposite reason Italy's does. Instead of being too lenient he beats the shit out of demons for pleasure. There's etiquette to exorcisms and Romano does not follow that shit at all. His ass is still crucifying and throwing lighter fluid on demons even after they've completely given up and are waving white flags. Because of this, this actually violates the rules of battles between demons and angels (since you're supposed to stop once the other party admits defeat) and thus in the end gives a penalty which gives them a free pass to fulfill the human's wish with no intervention despite how Romano beat them. He's such a fail exorcist because he fails every exorcism since he gets too into beating demons senseless and then when he encounters an actual scary high level demon he shits his pants and forces Italy to fight them. His ultimate goal is to ascend his soul with his brother in order to reunite with grandpa rome as well. But actually secretly the reason he wants to ascend isn't to reunite to grandpa rome, but rather to reunite with Spain. Since grandpa rome mainly focused on Italy while Spain ended up actually being a guiding figure in Romano's life despite him not officially doing the Guardian Angel program with him. Prumano is also real but that's to be explained later. His holy item isn't holy at all it's just a normal bag of salt. Sometimes he mixes glitter with the salt.

Germany: He's a demon that has just recently come of age. He's a really low ranking demon because of this and only lives within the first circle of hell. He has to provide for not just himself but also his brother Prussia who is a fail demon who sucks at all the jobs he gets and basically was bumming around on couches and shit until Germany came of age and was sent to hell. Prussia acted as a mentor and older brother figure when they were both growing up and Germany thought for sure that Prussia became an angel so he was heartbroken when he was chosen as a demon. But then he found Prussia immediately in hell and is taking responsibility of having his back because they have a strong sibling bond together. His sense of responsibility and competative nature of the job market is why he was the only demon willing to fulfill a summonings request for a priest, since he really needed the money to keep him and Prussia afloat. Him and Italy form a genuine close bond though, and Italy makes a "deal with the devil" later on.

Prussia: He's an absolute fail demon who can't get any of his jobs done so he relies on Germany to make all their money to survive in hell. He usually tags along with Germany when he goes to the human world because he's bored and LOVES the human shit (especially Arbys). This is against the rules, since angels and demons can only go to the human world if they're summoned. But also Prussia is a low-ranking demon who lives in the worst circle of hell, so it's like someone going missing in New York City; people aren't really going to notice. This backfires on him though since whenever he tags along to the human world with Germany he always ends up running into Romano. At first his and Romano's relationship is a pretty painful one since Romano can beat the shit out of Prussia as he likes since Prussia is not in the human world for work, so he can't give Romano any penalties for beating the shit out of him. So really it's just Romano terrorizing Prussia every time he goes to the human world for Arbys. But eventually they fall into a routine together and the initial thrill of beating up a demon as much as he likes wears off on Romano since Prussia keeps giving the same reactions. They end up becoming friends, although Romano would never admit this because he keeps adamantly proclaiming he hates demons and hopes they all die.

Russia: Russia is an exorcist who works at a church run by China. He works alongside America and Canada as fellow exorcists. Him and America have a never ending rivalry because America keeps accusing him of being a satanist. This is true though since Russia actually bats for both teams. He's a priest when it's beneficial for him to be a priest and a satanist when it's beneficial to be a satanist. He usually is a priest though since they're on the winning team. He also doesn't have to sacrifice anything to summon his angels, since he has the baltics as angels that he can summon at will for no charge (because they're terrified of him). Honestly he isn't all that much better than Italy and Romano at his job either, since he constantly scares off clients and has questionable practices. He does this line of work because he just enjoys this line of work and loves all the friends he can make in it. His holy item is a Bible which has a book mark in it. That bookmark marks the spot that separated the holy verses and the satanic verses in his "bible". When he recites these verses they give magical buffs to the demon/angel he is reciting them for. He also has a holy magic metal pipe of pain which is just a metal pipe that he baptized (nobody knows if it actually has holy power in it, since everyone gets knocked out from it instantly).

America: He works alongside Russia in exorcisms and usually they both suck at their job because they constantly tag along with each other to try to one up another. This makes them end up sucking at what they do. He's a priest because he likes feeling like a hero and feels triumph in fighting for "justice". He had England as his guardian angel as a child, but rebelled against him in his teens by denouncing God when he had his emo phase. Now he obviously grew out of it and is a priest now, but his relationship with England is strained because of the emo phase. He's a priest, but always argues against England that he's doing it for himself, not because of England's mentoring since he doesn't even want to ascend his soul. Although ascending would totally be super neat and the most befitting reward for a hero... **looks around**. His holy item is his bottle of holy water. He can splash the water in the air and the water droplets will turn into biblically accurate angel eyes that can shoot rays of light at enemies (super awesome lazer eyes).

England: He's a pretty high ranking angel that acted as America's guardian angel for a while. Not much to say here since I've already explained most of what he has done in America's description. In this AU England sees America as his stupid annoying favorite child son.

France: Not much to say here either. He was Canada's guardian angel as a child and that's about it for priest AU specific lore. He constantly is bickering and fighting with England. Him and England torment Germany because they think that he's a evil demon that infected Italy's mind and a sly bastard for doing work for a PRIEST when an angel is supposed to be helping Italy out. Neither of them think Italy is to blame for Germany and Italy's involvement with each other because Germany is ugly and ugly people are always wrong.

Spain: He basically acted as Romano's guardian angel despite the fact he really wasn't his at all. He mistakenly thought he was assigned him and took up the role, but ended up getting attached and sticking around to raise Romano anyways. He's pretty carefree and just like Spain in the show of course. He has a bad habit of forgetting to mention extremely crucial information though.

China: He runs the church that America, Russia, and Canada work at. He doesn't believe in God at all and is a Buddhist. But he runs the church because to him it's like his corner store business (like a 7/11 but with less mess). He takes care of the finances and such of the church and really does treat the church as if it's just his corner store he owns. This causes China to do a lot of special business events that force Austria and Hungary's church to compete against them since they need money too and if China's going to have a buy one get one free sale then they'll do it too. A running gag that is revealed as the series goes on is that China is correct about everything pertaining to how angels, demons, and humans work.

Japan: He's China's nephew and works as his apprentice at the church. He also does not believe in God nor Buddha, but says he's Buddhist to appease his uncle. He's a college student who's studying to take the DAT at the moment, so he does this as a part time job for money and something on his resume. He often hangs out with Italy since China gives him the job to scope out their "competition" (because he has to make sure the other church isn't doing as well as his) and Japan just ends up hanging out with Italy and Germany a lot. He honestly wishes he was more involved in the adventures they have, but he's too Japanese and not deadass enough to just ask to be invited more often.

Canada: He's America's brother everyone forgets exists and literally the only reason why China's church is so swag and not poor as shit like Austria and Hungary's. Because he's the only priest that actually does proper exorcisms. Everyone forgets he exists, but he's always working in the background and making like 70% of the profits that the church makes lol. His holy items are changed out between crosses, bibles, etc. Because he actually uses his items in a practical sense instead of sticking to one item and acting as if that's his thing now.

BASIC WORLD INFORMATION:

- angels and demons are species that gain power from human belief. they are raised together and then when they come of age they are either chosen to become an angel or demon

- because of this angels and demons both have the goal of fulfilling human wishes to gain more belief

- angels are obviously beating the shit out of demons in their never ending competition for human belief magical power. and thus they always get first pick for who becomes an angel while the demons get the leftovers

- angels also generally have much more magical power than demons, so many of them can do cool magical tricks while most demons have to do things manually. That's why demons are often more buff and physically strong since they have to work out to fight.

- angels are chosen not by the goodness of ones heart, but rather how good they are at rizzing and being well liked in order for humans to like them

- because of this, human's understanding of each side's morality is completely wrong since both act as buisnesses (and arguably angels are more corrupt since they play dirty)

- humans do not become angels or demons when they die. their souls reincarnate over and over again.

- different practices such as "selling your soul to the devil" and "guardian angels" and explanations for why demons are regarded as evil will be explained in later posts.

- the social heirarchy and way jobs work within hell and heaven will also be described in later posts

- Angels and demons also are responsible for santa's activies and bond together during the holiday season to reap the benefits of power from children's belief in "santa" (a persona that was created by satan and god together, so they split the power that comes from the belief in it)

- Priests and satanists in this world act as soldiers to stop the opposing angels/demons from fulfilling human wishes.

- they use their holy/satanic items to battle against angels/demons in the area, and if needed use sacrifices to call upon angels/demons to provide aid in battling against whoever they are fighting. The better the sacrifice, the higher quality the angel/demon that appears will be due to the higher pay.

- Their holy/satanic items act as buffs/weapons for their angel/demon that they summoned if they choose to summon one.

- holy items only go with angels and satanic items only go with demons. holy items will always hurt demons and satanic items will always hurt angels.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Gábor Scheiring for Politico Magazine:

Many believed that after his first term as president, Donald Trump would end up in the dustbin of history. Now Trump is back, and the United States is about to be ruled for the second time by a right-wing populist. Trump’s goal this time is to remake the American government to enhance his power. He isn’t the first modern right-wing populist to attempt this — he is following a playbook pioneered by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. I lived through Orbán’s power grab as a member of Hungary’s parliament and have been researching populism since. I’ve learned a few things along the way that might help Trump’s opponents understand how he won and how they can fight back. First off, it’s important to understand that America isn’t the first country to face this kind of threat to its democracy, and it also isn’t something external. Autocratic populism is not a virus the U.S. caught from the exotic East, from Russia or Hungary. Modern-day autocracies come to power through elections, leading to electoral autocracies. These regimes are built from within the democratic system.

This is what Orbán did so successfully, which is why he has inspired other autocrats. America’s radical conservatives have been paying attention. Steve Bannon has called Orbán “Trump before Trump.” Vice President-elect JD Vance has cited Orbán as an inspiration, who “we could learn from in the United States.” Orbán’s power grab program runs on two components that you can think of as hardware and software. The populist hardware consists of hijacked institutions. The software is made up of populist discourses and narratives that are used to create and enlist the consent of the ruled. Dismantling the hardware of the Orbán-Trump project requires first defeating its software, so let’s start there.

The Software

Liberals often struggle against these populist narratives because the polar opposite of populism is elitism, which carries much less appeal. Here are some of the narratives that work to create the software of autocracy.

— The Folksy Outsider. Pushing against the boundaries of written and unwritten norms is a standard performative element in the populist toolbox, establishing the populist leader as a folksy outsider disrespected by liberal elites. We can expect Trump to continue using outsider mannerisms, from ordering burgers in the White House to posing as a McDonalds employee, as a symbolic nod to devalued working-class lifestyles.

— Anti-Elitism. We can also expect the culture war to escalate. Orbán passed legislation cracking down on universities in an effort to reduce the influence of liberal ideas. Vance has also declared universities “the enemy” and advised that “the closest that conservatives have ever gotten to successfully dealing with left-wing domination of universities is Viktor Orbán’s approach in Hungary.”

— Anti-Immigrant. It is also clear that Trump will continue his anti-immigrant tirades and attempt to deport millions of illegal immigrants. While in Eastern Europe, radical right populist leaders showed up before Europe’s migrant crisis, hostility toward immigration is nevertheless a favorite far-right topic. Populists create intricate narratives about the self-inflicted decline of the West, weakened by a “liberal virus” and losing out in the global competition of civilizations. These narratives are particularly potent because they also activate racial stereotypes and fears concerning historical minorities, not just new immigrants.

— Economic Nationalism. From climate-change policies to free trade agreements, liberal and centrist economic policies have also become frequent punching bags. Trump’s love affair with tariffs and his trade war with China mirrors Orbán’s fight against economic globalization. While the practical impact of Orbán’s economic nationalism is limited in Hungary, it is crucial for maintaining support among working-class Hungarians, who are otherwise relative losers of Orbán’s policies.

Economic nationalism is a vital component of the populist software but is often neglected by opponents of the far right, so let’s take a deeper look at how it works.

Before Eastern Europe became a laboratory for illiberalism in the 2010s, Western economists used it as a laboratory for neoliberalism in the 1990s. This shock therapy experiment alienated masses of lower-middle- and working-class citizens from the parties of the center-left, who often championed these policies. Similar tectonic shifts have undermined the Democrats’ support among working-class Americans. Economic nationalist narratives used by right-wing populists glorify “makers” over “takers,” resonating with working-class voters who value hard work. This narrative also serves to cement an alliance between plutocrats, billionaires and workers, which might seem paradoxical, but it isn’t: They are all portrayed as hard-working value creators as opposed to “lazy bureaucrats” and “benefit scroungers.” At their core, some of these narratives are centered on racist or nativist ideas, but they are cushioned in several outer layers that are primarily economic — and it’s the economic messages that many who hear them react to.

That’s why labeling Trump and Orbán and their supporters as moral degenerates, or even Nazis, is tactically dysfunctional. Some of their voters are hardcore racists, but many aren’t. In fact, one of the often-neglected powers of successful radical right populists is their capacity to bring together a broad group of disillusioned voters. Conservatives and nationalists with cultural grievances respond to the anti-migrant and anti-identity political messages. Economic nationalist messages resonate with those harboring economic frustrations over increased social insecurities and stagnating living standards. Symbolic class politics allows populist leaders to glue together those components of the populist narrative. When economic grievances and cultural resentments combine, they create a potent force, generating consent for the autocrat to do what it takes to change the hardware.

The Hardware

Once the narratives have taken hold, the autocratic leader can change the hardware that runs the country. Most of these steps are incremental and might even be defensible on their own. But together, they build a formidable institutional power base that can keep the leader and his party in power permanently. Here are some of those steps.

— Strengthen Executive Power. After serving one term as prime minister, Orbán lost office in 2002. He resolved that next time, he is going to be much more aggressive in strengthening his hold on power. Trump and his team have prepared for their second term in a similar way. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation behind the infamous Project 2025, portrayed Hungary as “the model for conservative statecraft.” Project 2025 echoes Orbán’s playbook, pushing to dismantle liberal influence in the “administrative state” and strengthen executive power. As Trump’s initial nominees also show, we can expect systematic efforts to sweep out officials deemed disloyal to the president. Trump also plans to centralize control over institutions, ranging from the Federal Reserve Board to the Federal Communications Commission.

— Discipline the judiciary. Efforts at reining in the Justice Department and exerting more influence over the judiciary will be crucial. With Republicans already controlling the Supreme Court, any new appointments during Trump’s term would cement a conservative majority for decades. Trump was also open about his plan to fire attorneys who refuse to follow his orders. Vance even mentioned the option of simply disobeying judicial authorities.

— Change Election Processes. Manipulating electoral rules and district boundaries to benefit the ruling party is a strategy that Orbán imported from the U.S. The state of Georgia is a case in point, where Republicans have increased their power to change electoral results they deem fraudulent. In Congress, Republicans have proposed far-reaching legislation that could allow Republicans to twist the electoral process to their advantage in future election cycles.

— Control the media. Orbán consolidated media control through centralized propaganda, market pressure and loyal billionaires. In the U.S., in addition to the already powerful empire of Rupert Murdoch, several recent examples show the power of friendly tycoons over the media. Elon Musk is a good case study; he used Twitter-turned-X to bolster right-wing populists and now stands to gain much from his relationship with Trump. This mirrors Orbán’s strategy to forge a strong alliance with the country’s billionaires for mutual protection and support. Trump also plans to move fast on a business-friendly agenda of tax cuts, deregulation and expanded energy production.

— Secure Control over Party. A final critical step is securing full control over the party. Just as Orbán replaced mainstream leaders with loyal outsiders, Trump co-opted much of the Tea Party in his takeover of the Republican Party. Trump’s team has positioned key allies as candidates and RNC leaders, placing his daughter-in-law as co-chair and pushing out numerous establishment staffers. And his current moves to name uber-loyalists to administration jobs regardless of their qualifications is also an effort to make Republicans in Congress bend to his will.

The Antidote

First, let’s take a breath because there’s a silver lining. Trump’s presidency will be painful for many, but democratic erosion is unlikely to reach Hungarian levels soon. That’s because the U.S. has a more robust political system, and Democrats and pro-democracy activists have a window to act before lasting institutional damage occurs. That’s the good news. The bad news is that there’s no consensus among democracy advocates on the best way to fight illiberal, right-wing populism. However, the story of Europe’s populists offers insights into what works and what doesn’t. There are three main points of resistance.

— The courts. If there are any brazen attacks on constitutional principles, the justice system should be the first line of defense. However, illiberal regimes often operate within legal boundaries, making them harder to challenge. Courts in Europe have so far had little power against Orbán. Litigation or legal restrictions on populists also tend to backfire, boosting their image as outsiders fighting against an unjust, technocratic system, as Trump has already demonstrated in his efforts to discredit the legal cases against him. What this means is that the fight against right-wing populism is primarily political.

— The media. Fighting for media pluralism and independence is vital. Investigative journalism helps, but it tends to preach to the converted. There need to be news channels and media outlets for getting messages across to non-metropolitan areas dominated by far-right news sources. Liberal-minded billionaires should not sit idly by as they did in Hungary, watching the right take over the media. The New Right is also significantly more embedded in social media than liberals are. Those of us who favor democracy cannot let Elon Musks and Andrew Tates control the public discourse. Progressive influencers: Time to log in and post away — there’s a narrative battle to win.

— States and cities. Democrats cannot win without a powerful social base embedded throughout the country. Fighting for every seat and institution in states and cities is one of the most important things opponents of autocracy need to do. Even in hard illiberal regimes like Turkey or Hungary, free cities are channels for interaction with citizens, provide organizational resources and can be used to present alternative visions of governance.

Countering populist power structures requires first defeating populist narratives — a battle the anti-populist center is losing. The demise of Hungary’s once-strong left-liberal elites, now completely overpowered by the right, should serve as a stark warning, which leads us to the most important battleground: the Democratic Party. To win the fight against autocracy, above all, the Democratic Party must reconnect with the working class to preserve liberal institutions. There are simply not enough educated moderate suburbanites for an electoral majority.

[...] Hungary’s key lesson is you don’t protect democracy by talking about democracy — you protect democracy by protecting people. Only a democracy that works for the people is sustainable.

Gábor Scheiring wrote in Politico Magazine this weekend his experience of Hungary’s descent into the authoritarian abyss that the USA seems to want to follow under a 2nd term of Donald Trump and how to combat such authoritarianism.

[mariacallous]

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is fond of responding to his detractors with a bit of advice: “Let your haters be your waiters when you sit down at the table of success.”

The Department of Justice now seems to have a few things to say about Adams’ success. In a 57-page, five-count indictment unsealed Thursday, federal prosecutors accused him of taking bribes from foreign nationals and doling out favors over a span of nearly a decade.

Others in his orbit have also been investigated by federal authorities, leading to several high-profile resignations this month — among them police commissioner Edward Caban and mayoral legal adviser Lisa Zornberg.

Adams said the charges were “entirely false” and “based on lies,” adding that he looks forward to defending himself.

“I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit,” he said.

Adams, a former captain with the New York Police Department, was elected mayor of the country’s largest city in 2021 on a pro-NYPD platform, and is seeking reelection in 2025.

The indictment paints a picture of a man who is comfortable accepting luxuries either for free or little cost, allegedly using fake paper trails and cash to conceal them, and performing various favors in return. It also accuses him of using a donation-matching program aimed at giving New Yorkers a stronger voice in local elections to steal some $10 million in public funds.

Here’s what we learned about the accusations:

Adams allegedly took a lot of money from Turkish nationals who believed he could be president someday.

Prosecutors say foreign nationals seeking favors from Adams funneled cash to his campaign through American citizens in a “straw man” setup.

A text exchange between a Turkish businessman and an aide to Adams provided insight into the deals:

“Fund Raising in Turkey is not legal, but I think I can raise money for your campaign off the record,” the businessman wrote. Asked how Adams would formally declare the funds as a campaign donation to comply with the law, the businessman responded: “He won’t declare it ... Or ... We’ll make the donation through an American citizen in the U.S .... A Turk ... I’ll give cash to him in Turkey ... Or I’ll send it to an American ... He will make a donation to you.”

The aide said Adams “wouldn’t get involved in such games” because it “might cause a big stink later on,” but promised to talk to Adams about it.

Adams’ texted his feelings about a different but similar proposal from another Turkish national.

“I don’t want his willing to help be waisted [sic],” Adams allegedly wrote.

At least one of the Turkish nationals believed Adams might be president of the United States one day, according to the indictment.

He was a frequent flier on a Turkish airline.

Adams either flew for free or for a heavily discounted rate on a Turkish airline owned in large part by the Turkish government, according to the indictment, which noted destinations included “France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary and Turkey itself.” He allegedly did so even when it was less convenient than other options, like transferring through Istanbul to get to France.

Prosecutors say the business class flights to India, taken with his partner in 2016, would have cost $15,000, but the couple paid less than $3,000 and accepted free upgrades. Another trip taken in 2017 with several companions would have cost $35,000 regularly.

An Adams staffer arranging flights for him in June 2021 told an employee of the airline to charge a price that was “somewhat real” because “we don’t want [the media] to say he is flying for free.”

Turkish nationals “further arranged for Adams and his companions to receive, among other things, free rooms at opulent hotels, free meals at high-end restaurants, and free luxurious entertainment while in Turkey,” the indictment stated.

Adams tried hiding his antics, but incriminating texts remained.

One exchange between Adams and a staffer stood out in the indictment. The pair were texting about another possible trip to Turkey in 2019.

“To be o[n the] safe side Please Delete all messages you send me,” the staffer texted Adams.

He texted back, “Always do.”

A staffer deleted texts during her FBI interview.

In November 2023, an Adams staffer submitted to a voluntary interview with the FBI. At one point, the indictment said, she “excused herself to a bathroom and, while there, deleted the encrypted messaging applications she had used to communicate” with Adams and his Turkish contacts.

Adams helped open a costly new skyscraper despite flaws.

Adams allegedly ensured that a 36-floor building that would serve as the new home of the Turkish consulate could open quickly, in time for a visit by the Turkish president in September 2021.

The New York Fire Department was concerned about dozens of defects with the building. But a top NYFD official wrote a “conditional letter of no objection” to the building, which he had never done before, and it opened in time.

He allegedly made other construction problems go away.

One of the straw donors, who was not a member of the city’s Turkish community, later texted Adams about a problem with the city’s Department of Buildings.

He is famous in Turkey, apparently.

One of the straw donors was a Turkish entrepreneur referred to in the indictment as “the Promoter,” who arranges events for wealthy and powerful people to meet one another. The indictment states that he was “hoping to leverage Adams’ considerable fame in Turkey to benefit the Promoter’s clients.”

Right after Adams won the 2021 mayoral election, the man suggested in a text message to another Turkish national that he intended “to go and talk to our elders in Ankara about how we can turn this into an advantage for our country’s lobby.”

According to prosecutors, Adams was living it up on his visits to the country. One trip included a stay at the Four Seasons, a yacht tour, a stay at a luxury beach resort, and a car and driver. He paid $720.

He ignored the Armenian genocide on its remembrance day.

As mayor, Adams did not make a statement on the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in 2022, allegedly on request from his Turkish contacts. Turkish nationalists continue to deny the systematic massacre that began in 1915.

A secretive 2025 Adams campaign event was allegedly filled with foreign nationals.

Prosecutors say Adams welcomed wealthy foreigners to a fundraising event in a Manhattan hotel which was billed as a climate-related event. A PowerPoint presentation was allegedly created to help hide the true purpose of the event, saying it was hosted by “International Sustainability Leaders” and had a ticket price of $5,000.

He told the FBI he forgot his phone password.

When the FBI executed a search warrant for Adams’ devices in November, they found his mobile phone to be locked. Adams claimed he’d recently changed the password from a four-digit number to a six-digit number — and forgotten it.

[that-angry-noldo]

THE MODERN AU ASK IS SO FUNNY I'M SORRY PLEASE DO THE ARAFINWEANS IF YOU HAVEN'T YET

sjsksjsk here you go (also for @general-illyrin, @voidartisan, @gardensofthemoon and @sparrowsarus who all asked for some flavour of arafinwean)

Finarfin: probably owns a small business that he inherited from finwë after both fingolfin and fëanor ditched [town] and moved to Zagreb (Lalwen left to study abroad and stayed there and Findis is a university professor in Zadar). The business is extremely stressful and honestly finarfin considers selling it more than once. He owns a nice house though and has an alright income. His favourite place to visit is a zoo in Osijek. His café of choice is Twister and his usual order is a salted caramel cappuccino.

Eärwen was born in Dalmatia, her family owns a small chain of apartments near Zadar (she met Finarfin when he went to study there). She leaves each summer to help them around with work, the rest of the year works as accountant for Finarfin's business. Is very friendly and knows a lot of people around the town, always has the most fresh gossip. Is an often guest in local fish shop. Mostly shops in Hungary because it's "cheaper there". Is actively involved in local politics.

Finrod: studies art restauration in Dubrovnik but visits for each holiday. Has a dog that lives with his parents that he loves a lot. Sometimes it can feel like he has aquintaces in every croatian city and beyond.

Orodreth: married early, got divorced early, is left with little Finduilas to care for. Works in PBZ bank as an accountant. Most of his free time spends with Finduilas.

Angrod: studies programming, is out of the town most of the time. Plans to earn enough to buy a house near [town] before he and Eldalote get married.

Aegnor: fell in love with Andreth (a worker from Nepal) on season job on the shore, had to break up with her after season ended and she had to return home, did not take it well. Love loses, I guess.

Galadriel: last year of high school, wants to be Out of Town. plans to study math in Zagreb.

[firetrucks-fastcars]

Champange Problems (Formula 1 Fic)

Hi, hello. I interrupt your regularly schedule programming to bring you this, brought to you by my Formula 1 brain rot

Basically I wrote a fic about the trophy "inchident" at today's Grand Prix and wanted to share it here. If you're not interested in formula 1 feel free to scroll on and enjoy your day. But if you are, here ya go

(I might also continue to post things from other fandoms I enjoy because I need something to fuel me during this hiatus 🙃)

Champange Problems (Read on ao3 here)

Summary: Lando breaks Max's trophy on accident during podium celebrations at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He askes Max to punish him for it

Lando was exhausted after the race. The media pen, post-race press conference, and debriefs he’d had to participate in following the grueling two hours of the race had drained the last bit of energy he had been clutching on to following the checkered flag and podium celebrations. Oscar had poured one of their secret Red Bull stash into each of their water bottles to keep them awake during the engineering meeting and Lando had never been more endlessly grateful for his teammate. 

However, the burst of caffeinated energy had long since worn off and it took all of his remaining brain cells to navigate through the motorhomes to the car that was waiting to take him back to the hotel. He’d received a text from Daniel that he and Charles had already returned and sequestered themselves away in Max’s room with room service and were awaiting the return of their podium sitters. By finishing farther down the grid, the other two's media obligations were much less grueling than his and Max’s so they’d left the track hours before himself and Max. Lando was sure that Daniel was letting Charles pace the room and rant to relieve some of his frustrations before he and Max returned, not wanting to put a damper on their win despite the shitshow of Ferrari’s performance over the season. Lando could hardly wait for summer break when the four of them would be escaping to Daniel’s farm to pretend that the rest of the world didn’t exist for three glorious weeks.

What he could wait for was seeing Max. While his boyfriend had assured him he wasn’t angry about the trophy incident, he couldn’t help but feel guilty and the angry tweets and instagram comments hadn’t helped. He hadn’t meant to break the trophy, so caught up in his excitement of achieving P2 that he’d forgotten the Hungary trophy was porcelain, not the metal of most other circuits and that his slightly aggressive champagne pop might have been too much for the fragile item. It turned out that it was, the force of the bottle hitting the step causing the trophy to bounce and tumble to the ground. It had happened seemingly in slow motion as the top cracked and the bottom snapped clean off at his feet. He’d cringed, stepping over the shards of porcelain to spray Max and Checo. He’d leaned into Max as subtly as he could following the celebration, whispering an apology quietly so the microphones wouldn’t pick it up. Max had squeezed the back of his neck in reassurance, offering a gentle smile reserved only for himself, Daniel, and Charles. He’d apologized again on the way to the media pen and Max had only smiled again, that soft smile that made Lando want to curl up against him and hide in his arms, reassuring him once again that he wasn’t upset.

“I have plenty of trophies,” he’d chuckled. “This one won’t take away from the collection.”

He’d gotten tired of being asked about it during his media sessions. It had been an honest mistake and he wasn’t sure why people couldn’t understand that. He wasn’t being malicious and trying to damage his boyfriend’s (even though no one knew about that part) property on purpose.

As he made his way to the car Oscar spotted him outside the Mclaren garage and jogged to catch up, clearly on his own way out. 

“Great race today,” Oscar said, bumping their shoulders softly. “Seriously, P2 twice in a row, that’s impressive.”

“P5 is nothing to scoff at mate. Moving up in the points, I’m proud.”

“Thanks,” Oscar ducked his head shyly, still not used to Lando’s praise and compliments being directed at him. “Are you flying back tonight?”

“Nah, tomorrow morning.”

“Oh. Max huh?”

Lando chuckled, “Of course. Who else?”

“Perks of your boyfriend having his own jet.”

“You can join the club when you get your first podium,” Lando teased. 

“I’m holding you to that,” Oscar’s car pulled around the corner and he headed that direction, waving at Lando as he went. “See you Tuesday!”

“See you later mate!”

Lando bundled himself into the car, his driver offering him a short greeting before raising the partition and leaving him to his own devices. He immediately retrieved his phone from his backpack and Facetimed Daniel.

“Hello,” Daniel greeted, a wide smile on his face. He was lounging against the pillows on the bed, and a tuft of brown hair poking up at the bottom of the frame suggested he had Charles laying against his chest, listening in on the conversation. “Are you finally headed back?”

“Finally,” Lando agreed, leaning back in the car seats, getting as comfortable as he could. 

“Perfect timing, Maxy just texted and he’s on the way back as well.”

“Great,” Lando said, anxiety spiking in his throat.

“What’s wrong?” Charles asked, poking his head up just enough that Lando could see his bright green eyes.

“Is Max mad at me?”

“Why would he be mad at you?”

“The trophy,” he mumbled.

“Oh baby,” Daniel said. “He’s not upset with you. He thought it was funny.”

“But-”

“But nothing,” Charles piped up again, sitting up properly this time so he could squeeze into the frame with Daniel. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You were celebrating and it was an accident. It’s not like you kicked it over and stomped on it.”

“Charles is right. It was just an inchident.”

Lando chuckled as Charles smacked Daniel’s arm in retaliation for the joke muttering asshole under his breath. 

“I just feel bad about it and I can’t make myself stop. And the comments aren’t helping.”

“Lando, answer me truthfully okay?” Daniel said gently. “Would a punishment help?”

“Maybe.”

This part of their dynamic was relatively new but they were making it work. He’d known that Max and Daniel used to do something similar when they were teammates at Red Bull, helping to pull each other out of bad headspaces after bad races or bad interactions with Max’s dad. He also knew that Charles had gotten involved too, using it as an outlet for his Ferrari related frustrations. Lando, however, had only experienced it a few times since making their throuple a quartet a few months ago, usually lingering to the side and watching with whoever wasn’t currently over someone else’s lap.

“Lando cheri, be honest with us,” Charles encouraged. “Do you want Max to spank you? Will that make you feel better about what happened today?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Good boy for answering honestly,” Daniel praised. “We’ll talk to Max when he gets here and then when you arrive we’ll all have a discussion about it together. Alright?”

“Alright.”

“Good boy. We’ll see you soon okay?”

“See you soon. I love you.”

“We love you too baby.”

*****

When Lando arrived at the hotel, he hauled himself out of the car and thanked the driver before heading inside. Max had slipped him the extra key to his hotel room that morning and he’d kept it safely hidden in his bag since. How Max managed to get four keys so that they could each have one was beyond him, but he supposed that there wasn’t much a two-time world champion couldn’t talk his way into. He rode the elevator up to Max’s room on the fourteenth floor, thankful that this hotel was mostly reserved for Formula 1 teams, meaning he made his ascent alone. 

Max’s room was at the end of the hall, tucked into a corner and Lando was endlessly grateful for the teams that arranged these things for them. A corner room gave them slightly more privacy, which was hard to come by on grand prix weekends. Lando used his key and pushed the door open, leaving his backpack next to Charles’s hideously red one and slotting his sneakers neatly next to Daniel’s Nikes. The other three men were huddled around the table, munching on the absurd amount of food that littered the table. They always allowed themselves a cheat meal after a race before getting back to their strict diets on Monday and Daniel always went all out. 

Ignoring the food, Lando beelined for Max, dropping himself unceremoniously in his lap and hiding his face away in his neck. 

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered, huddling in as close as he possibly could, relishing in Max’s warmth.

“Shh,” Max hushed him gently, rubbing a hand up and down his back. “Nothing to apologize for schatje. Eat first, we’ll take care of the rest once you’re fed. I know you’re starving.”

Max was right, he was starving, so he maneuvered himself to the empty chair between Max and Daniel, who pushed some fries his way. He picked at them for a few moments before he was grabbed around his waist and hauled into Daniel’s lap, who pulled more food in front of him to feed Lando by hand.

“You need to eat, baby. I know you’re anxious but having a stomach ache because you’ve gone too long without food won’t help.”

Lando nodded and let Daniel feed him a few fries before offering him small bits of chicken. Charles had pushed his plate away and Max was holding his hand, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles as they quietly chatted about Charles’s race.

“The car is a shitbox,” Max said bluntly, as Charles complained about the gap between himself and George, which hadn’t been helped by the penalty. “And your strategy could be better written by a toddler.”

“Maybe we should hire Penelope,” Charles snorted.

“I’ll ask Kelly if she’s available.”

Between bites of food, Lando reached out to take Charles’s other hand.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“That you’re driving an expensive, garishly red tractor.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Charles laughed, bringing his hand up to kiss his knuckles. “I’m so proud of you for the race you had today, Lando. I will never be upset with you for winning, no matter how frustrated I am with myself and with my team.”

“Do you need me to spank you too?” Max asked, halfway between serious and joking.

“No, Daniel took care of it earlier.”

Both Lando and Max turned to look at the Aussie, who just grinned, “Forty-five minutes on your knees can do wonders.”

The other two laughed, but Max’s joke had brought Lando’s impending punishment back to the forefront of his mind.

“Can we talk about it now? The spanking?”

“Of course. Do you want to come sit on the bed?”

Lando nodded and Max helped him stand from his place on Daniel’s lap, leading him to the king sized bed in the center of the room. Daniel and Charles also abandoned the table, choosing instead to curl up together in the armchair positioned diagonally to the bed, Charles halfway in Daniel’s lap as they cuddled up to watch the show.

“Do you remember the words we use?” Max asked, placing a gentle hand on Lando’s thigh. Lando nodded. “Tell me what they are.”

“Red is for stop. Yellow means I want to slow down and talk about it but not stop completely. Green is all good.”

“Very good,” Max praised. “I know you’re nervous, but I’m going to take care of you, I won’t hurt you, Lando.”

“I know. I trust you.”

“Good. What’s your color now?”

“Green.”

“Good. I want you to pull down your pants, but leave your boxers on, then lay over my lap.”

Lando obeyed, pushing his jeans down but keeping his underwear in place before leaning over Max’s thighs. Max shifted him gently so that he was in a more comfortable position, then rucked up his hoodie just enough that he could place a comforting hand on the small of his back.

“I’m going light since this is your first time. You’ll get fifteen with just my hand. You can count them if you want, but I won’t make you. Remember that I’m not doing this because I’m angry at you or want to hurt you. You did nothing wrong. I’m doing this because you told me this is what you need to feel better and that is what I want. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good boy. What is your color?”

“Green.”

“What do you say if you need to stop at any time?”

“Red,” Lando answered dutifully, squirming on Max’s lap, feeling exposed and ready to get on with it.

“Good boy. Stay still, let me take care of you.”

The first hit shocked him and he let out an involuntary squeak. The next two he was more prepared for but they still stung. 

“Breathe Lando,” he heard Charles say encouragingly. “The more you tense up, the worse it is. Just relax and let Max take care of you.”

Max found a rhythm which Lando was grateful for. He’d witnessed some of the spanking Max had delivered to Charles that were brutal and he’s had a hard time keeping up with the pattern even from his position on the sidelines. He was glad Max had decided to take it easy on him for his first time. Somewhere around the eighth hit, he felt his brain start to go fuzzy around the edges, a feeling he’d only ever had described to him. He felt peaceful and he found the swats not hurting quite so much as he settled into the feeling. No wonder Charles liked this so much.

Eventually the pain stopped all together, just a dull burning sensation remained. He prepared himself for another swat but nothing came. It took him a few moments to register that there were voices and that they were talking to him. With some difficulty, he pried his eyes open and found Daniel kneeling in front of him.

“There he is,” Daniel brought a hand up to his cheek, wiping away his tears. When had he started crying? “How do you feel?”

“Good.”

“Floaty?” Charles asked, kneeling next to Daniel and running a hand through his no doubt wild curls. Lando nodded, pushing his head up into Charles’s hand, asking for head scratches. The other man chuckled but complied. Eventually, he was lifted up and moved so that he was sitting sideways across Max’s lap, head leaned on the older man’s shoulder.

“Do you feel better?”

“Yes,” Lando said, snuggling closer. “Much.”

“Good. I was never angry at you, you know that right. It was an accident. Even Christian said so.”

“I know. It’s just that, everyone kept asking me about it and I couldn’t let it go. I needed to get out of my head I guess.”

“I understand. Thank you for trusting me to help you do that.”

“I love you Maxy,” he said, and turned his head to kiss his jaw.

“I love you too. Let’s get you cleaned up and ready for bed, yes?”

Charles joined him in the shower, praising him softly for how well he’d raced and how well he’d done with his punishment, telling him he was good for asking for what he needed and allowing them to give it to him. He toweled them both off and dressed Lando in a clean pair of underwear and a large hoodie that belonged to Daniel, but smelled like all three of them, as if they’d passed it around before bestowing it on Lando. 

Max and Daniel were in bed waiting for them, the table cleared of food and some American sitcom playing on the TV at low volume. Lando wedged himself between them, making himself comfortable with his back to Daniel's chest and his legs tangled with Max’s. Charles slid in behind Max, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck as he did. 

Daniel ran a comforting hand up and down Lando’s chest and Lando snuggled back further into him, chasing his warmth. 

“I told you it would all be okay,” he said softly into Lando’s ear. “It was all an accident and it’s been taken care of. Everything is okay.”

“Yeah,” Lando mumbled sleepily. “Just an inchident.”

“I hate you all.”

[workersolidarity]

🇺🇲🇺🇦 🚨

COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS REFUSES TO COMMENT ON THE ABDUCTION, IMPROSONMENT, TORTURE AND EXTORTION OF JOURNALIST GONZALO LIRA BY UKRAINIAN SBU

The United States' Committee to Protect Journalists, headquartered in New York, had no comment on the situation of American-Chilean journalist, Gonzalo Lira, who is being held by the Ukrainian Intelligence Services (SBU).

“We studied the incident and came to the conclusion that it goes beyond the mandate of the Committee to Protect Journalists,” the organization’s press service told Russian State-News organization, RIA Novosti.

When asked why, the press service employee indicated that “in our regional program they said that this is because what he does, according to our criteria, is not journalism."

According to the article, a RIA Novosti correspondent was shown these criteria indicated on the committee’s website. They say, in part, that the committee "defines journalists as people who report news or comment on public issues in print, in photographs, on radio, television or online."

By definition, this would certainly make Gonzalo Lira, a career journalist, qualify. However, no response was given when Ria Novosti journalists pointed this out, nor did they explain why the Committee does not consider Gonzalo Lira's reporting and commentary to be journalism.

According to the Committee's website, "The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom around the world. We defend the right of journalists to report news safely and without fear of reprisal."

The SBU, for its part, claims that the American-Chilean journalist tried to flee from justice, and say his imprisonment took place "within the framework of the Law."

As for the claims of Lira's attempts to "escape justice", these are almost certainly true as shortly prior to his re-imprisonment, Lira uploaded a video to the video streaming platform YouTube stating his intention of going over the border to Hungary just before his court date.

However, Lira also told a harrowing account of his time in SBU custody, accusing the Ukrainian State Intelligence Services of abuse and torture, and even claimed the he was extorted for tens of thousands of dollars by the SBU through beatings from fellow inmates and corrections officers.

Previously, the U.S. State Department admitted to being aware of Lira's imprisonment, but declined to comment on any steps being taken by the White House to help free the detained American-Chilean journalist.

The White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, also refused to comment on Lira's situation.

#source

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Inside the 'irregular warfare' campaign fascists are conducting against America

Thom Hartmann

June 5, 2024 9:48AM ET

Trump lies that the guilty verdict against him — by a jury of his peers that his own attorneys picked — is an illegitimate, politically motivated show trial.

Trying to help Trump destroy Americans’ faith in our democracy and its justice system, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s spokesman today said of Trump’s trial:

“If we speak about Trump, the fact that there is simply the elimination, in effect, of political rivals by all possible means, legal and illegal, is obvious.”

Hungary’s dictator Viktor Orbán and Italy’s neofascist Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, both also argued that Trump is the victim of political persecution.

Right wing media commentators and Republicans in Congress have leaped at the opportunity to echo Putin and Orbán.

This sort of propaganda is called “irregular warfare” (IW) — warfare by means outside of troops, bombs, navies, etc. — and the US used to be an expert at it. Typically, irregular warfare involves the use of propaganda, proxies, or people willing to betray their own country.

READ: Liberals are being way too cynical about Trump's conviction

Irregular warfare is part of how the US and western Europe brought down the Soviet Union (although that system also disintegrated from within under the weight of its own corruption and rot), with propaganda systems like the Voice of America, Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Europe.

A keen observer of this process was an irregular warfare leader based in East Germany at the time. Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin supervised spying and propaganda operations within East Germany until the fall of the Berlin Wall, when he moved to Moscow where, in 1999, he became the head of the Russian government and is now the longest-serving Russian leader since Stalin.

Having been on the receiving end of US and western European propaganda efforts, Putin dedicated himself to turning the tables on us, since the democratic example of America (and other western nations) is a thorn in his autocratic side. And he’s had considerable success, including helping get his man Trump into the White House where Donald then handed a western spy over to Putin’s Foreign Minister Lavrov in a secret Oval Office meeting during his first month in office.

Two months later, US intelligence had to pull another spy out of Russia because they had evidence Trump had given his name to Putin as well. Trump may well represent the single most successful irregular warfare program Putin has ever run against America.

On July 31, 2019, as Trump was ramping up his 2020 campaign, he had another of what by that time were more than 16 private, unrecorded conversations with Putin. The White House told Congress and the press that they discussed “wildfires” and “trade between the nations.” No droids in this car.

The following week, on August 2nd, The Daily Beast’s Betsy Swan reported that Trump had just asked the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for a list of all its employees (including all our “spies” across the world) who had worked there more than 90 days, and the request had intelligence officials experiencing “disquiet.”

Fourteen months later, The New York Timesran a story with the headline: “Captured, Killed or Compromised: C.I.A. Admits to Losing Dozens of Informants.” The CIA then alerted American spies around the world that their identities had probably been compromised, apparently by President Donald Trump himself.

Also in 2019, when the international press verified that Putin was paying the Taliban bounties to kill American service members in Afghanistan (and 4 had already died as a result), Trump refused to demand the practice stop, another possible sign that Putin ran him, not the other way around.

As The New York Times noted at the time:

“Mr. Trump defended himself by denying the Times report that he had been briefed on the intelligence... But leading congressional Democrats and some Republicans demanded a response to Russia that, according to officials, the administration has yet to authorize.”

Instead of stopping Putin from offering the bounties, Trump shut down every US airbase in Afghanistan except one (there were about a dozen), intentionally crippling incoming President Biden’s ability to extract US assets from that country in an orderly fashion.

Today, Republicans — particularly House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and committee members Cory Mills (R-FL) and Michael Lawler (R-NY) — have used the resulting chaos and associated American and Afghan deaths as a political club to beat up President Biden.

Trump also took an axe to the Voice of America — an institution viscerally hated by Putin for half a century — appointing a rightwing hack and friend of Steve Bannon’s to run the organization, who promptly fired the heads of Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia and shifted their coverage away from defense of democracies. According to The Washington Post:

“He ousted the diplomats and media professionals on oversight boards and replaced them with low-level Trumpists from other government agencies. … “Having driven off the American media professionals at VOA, Pack went after the more than 70 foreign journalists who work for the organization, refusing to support the renewal of their U.S. visas as they came up. He claimed to be acting for security reasons and insinuated, on no evidence, that some of the staff were spies. … Now, they are being forced to repatriate, in some cases at personal risk. A VOA report in late August said 15 were returning home and another 20 had visas that will expire by the end of the year. “They weren’t Pack’s only targets. He attempted to fire the board and cut off the funding of the Open Technology Fund, an organization that supports Internet freedom initiatives, such as tools to circumvent firewalls. A court blocked the firings, but the fund was forced to suspend 49 of its 60 projects. Among those affected were journalists and activists resisting government crackdowns in Hong Kong and in Belarus.”

The damage to the Voice of America continues to this day as most of Trump’s people are still there; just three months ago, The Hill ran an article titled “Putin’s influencers? Why is taxpayer-funded VOA spreading his propaganda?”

But Putin’s efforts at irregular warfare against the United States have extended far beyond his apparent manipulation of Donald Trump to betray spies and kneecap American anti-fascist propaganda programs.

The Irregular Warfare Center was created within the US Department of Defense in 2021 by Congress; in their January 23, 2024 report “Russian Information Warfare Strategy: New IWC Translation Gives Insights into Vulnerabilities” they show how Putin’s efforts have had considerable success recruiting average Americans within the US. For example, as one of hundreds of Putin’s early efforts to help Donald Trump become president, they note that the year of Trump’s election:

“On 21 May 2016, two protest groups faced off in Houston near an Islamic cultural center to demonstrate competing opinions on Texas’ future. Both groups, one which was protesting the perceived Islamization of Texas, and the other in support of the Islamic community, had been organized on Facebook pages. At first glance, this seemed like a normal and innocuous part of the U.S. political process. “Unbeknownst to most participants, however, both Facebook pages had been created by Russian actors seeking to exacerbate political discord in the United States. This event was not an isolated case; it was a part of a coordinated effort by Russia to meddle in the U.S. elections, both in the social media space and in the physical domain.”

Another example was the promotion of Putin’s assertion the month before he invaded Ukraine in February, 2022 that the US and Ukraine were running bioweapon labs in that besieged nation. As NBC Newsreported in March, 2022 as the invasion was moving ahead full steam:

“Boosted by far-right influencers on the day of the invasion, an anonymous QAnon Twitter account titled @WarClandestine pushed the “biolabs” theory to new heights… “Much of the false information [about the alleged biolabs] is flourishing in Russian social media, far-right online spaces and U.S. conservative media, including Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News.”

When viewed in context, Putin’s successes at irregular warfare against the United States, designed to tear our society apart, have been quite breathtaking.

During the summer of 2020, as Trump and Biden were squaring off for the election that year, in the small Oregon town of Klamath Falls about 200 locals showed up downtown with guns, baseball bats, and whatever other weapons they could find around the house. They were in the streets to fight off the busloads of Black Antifa marauders they believed Jewish billionaire George Soros had paid to put on a bus in Portland and was sending their way.

Of course, George Soros had done no such thing and there were no busloads of Black people. But the warnings were all over the Klamath Falls Facebook group, and, it turns out, similar Facebook groups for small towns all over America, apparently as part of another Russian disinformation effort.

From coast to coast that weekend white residents of small towns showed up in their downtown areas with guns, rifles, hammers, and axes prepared to do battle with busloads of Black people being sent into their small white towns by George Soros.

In the tiny town of Forks, Washington, frightened white people brought out chainsaws and cut down trees to block the road leading to their town. In South Bend, Indiana police were overwhelmed by 911 calls from frightened white people wanting to know when the “Antifa buses” were arriving. And in rural Luzern County, Pennsylvania, the local neighborhood social media group warned people that busloads of Black people were “organizing to riot and loot.”

Similar stories played out that weekend from Danville, California to Jacksonville, Florida, as documented by NBC News. It was both a successful test of using social media to create mass panic among credulous Trump followers and, perhaps, a planning session for the violence ABC News documents Trump is trying to gin up if he loses this fall.

One of Putin’s greatest recent IW successes came last July when Federal District Judge Terry Doughty, a hard-right Trump appointee, blocked federal agencies from informing social media companies about Russian and other efforts to spread disinformation on their platforms. In March of this year four Republicans on the Supreme Court granted cert and the case was heard; we’re awaiting the ruling which could come any day.

The issue may be moot: Russia is now moving their efforts to promote Trump and encourage civil strife in the US away from their own trolls posing as Americans, now using instead Trump-aligned US-citizens and congressional Republican influencers.

These include using rightwing media commentators, average citizens active on social media, and even members of Congress who’ve bought into Russian propaganda from issues around Ukraine to vaccines to the alleged theft of the 2020 election (and “planned theft” of 2024). As the Irregular Warfare Centernotes:

“[F]uture Russian foreign-targeted OIEs [Operations in the Information Environment] appear to be shifting toward proxy operations, including semi-independent and strategically-chosen influencers on social media, rather than using a directly-controlled team of professionals, as was the case in 2016 with Yevgeny Prigozhin’s “troll factory” that worked to interfere in the U.S. elections.”

This possibility of Trump (and thus Putin) seizing control of US intelligence agencies should he be elected is freaking out former senior U.S. intelligence officials. The headline at Raw Story says it all: “Intel officials 'very concerned' about Trump's intentions for spy agencies.”

The simple reality is that Russia has been using IW techniques in Putin’s war against America — particularly in his efforts to reinstall Trump in the White House — for over a decade and those efforts are now being amplified on a daily basis by Republicans in Congress, rightwing media outlets, and some of our largest social media companies.

With the ability of our government to work with social media and news outlets to combat Putin’s irregular warfare handicapped, and the possibility that Republicans in Congress and on the Supreme Court will further handcuff the Biden Administration’s efforts, the possibility increases that Russia’s useful idiots could succeed in helping Trump prevail this November.

And the election season is now just beginning. Buckle up: to paraphrase Trump’s invitation to January 6th, this is going to get wild.

READ: Liberals are being way too cynical about Trump's conviction

[diogenesz2020portugal]

Mindeközben Azbej Tristan örmény származás��  politikus (a negyedik Orbán-kormány államtitkára, a KDmP alelnöke) 2016 óta az Üldözött Keresztények Megsegítéséért Felelős Helyettes Államtitkárság vezetője, 2018 őszétől pedig a Miniszterelnökség Üldözött Keresztények Megsegítéséért és a Hungary Helps Program Megvalósításáért Felelős Államtitkárságának vezetője felszólította a magyar kormányt, hogy a mohamedán azeriekkel szemben a keresztény örmények pártján lépjen fel, különben lemond a hivataláról.

(Bocs, ez csak egy normális országban fordulhatna elő.)

[fandfnews]

Hungary Helps Program Brings Hope and Educational Opportunities to Nairobi's Korogocho Slum

[archivallyminded]

Other good things which explain why I've been MIA for the past few weeks:

Have been taking French fluency tests for work/ potential other jobs.

Have the opportunity to take financed French workplace fluency training while I continue to look for other jobs.

Will have a pretty solid tax return thanks to "bring forward" amounts from other years: Plan to put parts of it towards paying off my car I bought off a family member (70 percent, yay!), a possible vacation to Austria/Hungary, and savings.

Had performance review.

Being forced because I've worked at least three days of overtime to use three days in the next few months along with my vacation. So get an extra 3 days of paid vacation days free.

Dentistry being set for early May to fix my teeth.

Been attending therapy for intimacy sensitivity training to help open myself to the idea of dating and intimacy.

Sent off a cheque to save my spot for the master's program I have been accepted to as my backup.

Still waiting to find out about my first choice in April, which would be much more ideal because it wouldn't require me to move. Wish me luck!

Will find out about external scholarship I applied for on Monday.

Using the Easter long weekend to catch up on bits and bobs.

[unilifeabroadcareersolution]

Study in Romania

Romania is an open invitation for business students, international and foreign affairs students, and the next generation of global economic market experts. Romania, once ruled by an oppressive government, is fresh out of the gate, and as a new member of the European Union, it is finally enticing foreign investors. Romania is a beautiful country with a diverse population that has a rich academic history. Romania, with its fantastic natural landscapes, fusion of European cultures, and mediaeval castles, is widely regarded as the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel. Universities in Romania can provide international students with a one-of-a-kind educational experience. Romanian higher education and living expenses are among the lowest in the European Union.

Life in Romania

Romania is home to over 19.6 million people and is located at the crossroads of Central, Southeastern, and Eastern Europe. It is bordered by five countries: Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, and Moldova. Its coastline runs along the Black Sea, and the Danube River, Europe’s second-longest river, ends in Romania’s Danube Delta. The Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were united to form the country in 1859. Romania has had a turbulent history since then, but it has been a democracy since the 1989 Revolution. It joined the European Union in 2007 and is classified as a developing country.

Benefits of Study in Romania

High Education System

The Romanian higher education system is now a model of excellence. Every year, thousands of students from all over the world come to Romania to study and discover a unique blend of tradition and modernity. Furthermore, international students have the opportunity to study at a variety of institutions (universities, colleges, etc.).

Cost of Study

Tuition fees range from 14,000 RON (3,000 EUR) to 30,000 RON (6,300 EUR) per academic year, depending on the programme and institution. Depending on the study domain or your citizenship, some programmes may even be less expensive than others.

Scholarships

The Romanian government provides generous student grants, including full fee waivers. These are frequently awarded before you begin your degree, but it is common practise in Romana for universities to cover the following year’s fees for the top-performing students in each year group.

UniLife Abroad Services

Guides in choosing the right University or College.

Help to select the right study programs based on the candidate’s academic profile and career interest.

Help students with admission to the College or University as per their decisions.

Help to prepare the complete application for Student Visas.

Helps with the extensions of the Study Permit.

Help to find a job while studying or after completing the study.

Help to prepare the application package for Multiple Entry Visa.

Help students with Permanent Residency.

Contact us : 8428440444 , 8428999090

Mail id : anagha@unilifeabroad.com

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 6.16 (after 1910)

1911 – IBM founded as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, New York. 1922 – General election in the Irish Free State: The pro-Treaty Sinn Féin party wins a large majority. 1925 – Artek, the most famous Young Pioneer camp of the Soviet Union, is established. 1930 – Sovnarkom establishes decree time in the USSR. 1933 – The National Industrial Recovery Act is passed in the United States, allowing businesses to avoid antitrust prosecution if they establish voluntary wage, price, and working condition regulations on an industry-wide basis. 1940 – World War II: Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de l'État Français). 1940 – A Communist government is installed in Lithuania. 1948 – Members of the Malayan Communist Party kill three British plantation managers in Sungai Siput; in response, British Malaya declares a state of emergency. 1955 – In a futile effort to topple Argentine President Juan Perón, rogue aircraft pilots of the Argentine Navy drop several bombs upon an unarmed crowd demonstrating in favor of Perón in Buenos Aires, killing 364 and injuring at least 800. At the same time on the ground, some soldiers attempt to stage a coup but are suppressed by loyal forces. 1958 – Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter and other leaders of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising are executed. 1961 – While on tour with the Kirov Ballet in Paris, Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union. 1963 – Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space. 1963 – In an attempt to resolve the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam, a Joint Communique was signed between President Ngo Dinh Diem and Buddhist leaders. 1972 – The largest single-site hydroelectric power project in Canada is inaugurated at Churchill Falls Generating Station. 1976 – Soweto uprising: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa, turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd. 1977 – Oracle Corporation is incorporated in Redwood Shores, California, as Software Development Laboratories (SDL), by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates. 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Ken Taylor, Canada's former ambassador to Iran, for helping six Americans escape from Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979–81; he is the first foreign citizen bestowed the honor. 1989 – Revolutions of 1989: Imre Nagy, the former Hungarian prime minister, is reburied in Budapest following the collapse of Communism in Hungary. 1997 – Fifty people are killed in the Daïat Labguer (M'sila) massacre in Algeria. 2000 – The Secretary-General of the UN reports that Israel has complied with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 22 years after its issuance, and completely withdrew from Lebanon. The Resolution does not encompass the Shebaa farms, which is claimed by Israel, Syria and Lebanon. 2002 – Padre Pio is canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. 2010 – Bhutan becomes the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco. 2012 – China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts, including the first female Chinese astronaut Liu Yang, to the Tiangong-1 orbital module. 2012 – The United States Air Force's robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission. 2013 – A multi-day cloudburst, centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand, causes devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami. 2015 – American businessman Donald Trump announces his campaign to run for President of the United States in the upcoming election. 2016 – Shanghai Disneyland Park, the first Disney Park in Mainland China, opens to the public. 2019 – Upwards of 2,000,000 people participate in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, the largest in Hong Kong's history.

[mariacallous]

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. was nearing a final deal to contribute $20 billion toward a broader loan package with allies to help Ukraine. | Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Tuesday that the U.S. was “very close” to finalizing a $20 billion contribution to a broader loan package to Ukraine that will be repaid from the income generated by frozen Russian assets.

“We’re 99 percent there and it’s nailing down just a couple of relatively small things,” Yellen told reporters. “We are very close.”

The U.S. and its allies have been trying to iron out the details of the $50 billion loan package since leaders reached an agreement at the G7 meeting in June. The deal, which came after Yellen and other Biden administration officials rallied sometimes reluctant allies around the idea, anticipated that Ukraine would receive the money by the end of the year. Yellen said that was still the goal.

The loan offers G7 nations a chance to lock in longer-term funding for Ukraine’s war effort and insulate the money from the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Former President Donald Trump and many Republicans have been deeply skeptical of sending further U.S. assistance to Ukraine.

The European Parliament on Tuesday moved ahead with approving its own contribution to the loan of roughly $38 billion, though that share is expected to decrease with the U.S. allocation to the loan. The UK separately approved its contribution of about $3 billion.

The EU moved ahead to approve its participation in the loan without the U.S. as the Biden administration sought greater EU assurances that the Russian assets — the vast majority of which are frozen in Europe — would stay immobilized for a longer period of time. The concern was that the freeze on the assets could be ended before the G7 loan was repaid.

The EU currently needs a unanimous vote every six months to renew the sanctions that keep the Russian state assets blocked. But Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orbán is a Trump supporter and sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin, had blocked changes to the EU sanctions regime that the U.S. was seeking.

Yellen said that even without those changes, U.S. officials feel confident that they can provide a $20 billion contribution to the broader $50 billion loan package.

“We have a high degree of confidence that the money will be there and will remain locked down,” Yellen said. She said the asset freeze is one component of a broader sanctions program, which she said would be “inconceivable” for any EU member to terminate while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

“The assurances are already there,” Yellen said. “We asked for some modest strengthening but feel good that this is a secure loan that will be serviced by Russian assets — by Russia and not by American taxpayers.”

[rolloutit]

How IT Outsourcing in Hungary Drives Innovation for Global Companies

In today’s fast-moving business world, companies are under constant pressure to innovate, cut costs, and stay ahead of the competition. One practical strategy that many global businesses now rely on is IT Outsourcing in Hungary. This Central European country is quickly gaining a reputation as a reliable partner for companies that want to develop software, apps, and digital products without losing control over quality.

Let’s look at the main reasons why outsourcing IT to Hungary drives real innovation.

Why Companies Choose Hungary for IT Outsourcing

Hungary is becoming an attractive destination for outsourcing IT projects because it offers a strong mix of talent, cost-effectiveness, and a culture of innovation. Here’s why more companies are looking to Hungary for help.

Key advantages:

Central Location: Hungary’s time zone overlaps with both Western Europe and parts of the US, making real-time communication easier.

Skilled Talent: Hungary’s universities produce thousands of highly skilled developers and engineers each year. Many of them specialise in Frontend Development Outsourcing and Full-Stack Development Outsourcing.

Affordable Rates: Outsourcing IT to Hungary often costs less than hiring teams locally in Western Europe or North America.

Benefits of IT Outsourcing in Hungary

When you partner with a Hungarian IT team, you get more than just a lower price tag. You gain a trusted extension of your business that can help you bring new ideas to life.

1. Access to Highly Skilled Developers

Hungarian developers are well-known for their technical expertise and strong problem-solving skills. They are:

Trained in modern programming languages and frameworks

Experienced in complex, global projects

Proficient in English, so communication is smooth

Companies that use Frontend Development Outsourcing to Hungary can get user-friendly, modern websites and apps that engage customers. If you need Full-Stack Development Outsourcing, you get experts who can handle both the backend systems and the frontend user experience.

2. Cost Savings That Drive Growth

IT Outsourcing in Hungary helps businesses manage their budgets better. With lower development costs, companies can:

Use the savings to invest in new technologies and ideas

Scale projects faster without sacrificing quality

Compete globally with more flexibility

3. Strong Focus on Innovation

Hungarian IT teams don’t just do what you ask — they often bring fresh ideas and creative solutions to your project. For example, they may:

Recommend new tools or frameworks that save time and money

Suggest ways to improve user experience in Frontend Development Outsourcing

Design secure, scalable architectures for Full-Stack Development Outsourcing

This innovative approach means your business can launch better products and services that stand out in the market.

4. Reliable Digital Infrastructure

Hungary has invested heavily in its IT infrastructure. This means you can expect:

Fast, reliable internet connections

Modern office spaces and equipment

Strong data security and privacy standards

All these factors help ensure that your outsourced projects run smoothly from start to finish.

5. Easy Collaboration and Communication

One of the biggest worries companies have when outsourcing is communication. IT Outsourcing in Hungary makes this easier because:

Hungarian teams are culturally aligned with Western Europe and North America

Most developers speak English well

Overlapping working hours allow for real-time meetings and updates

This helps avoid misunderstandings and keeps projects on track.

Popular Services Companies Outsource to Hungary

Here are some of the top IT services businesses trust Hungarian teams with:

Frontend Development Outsourcing: Designing and developing websites and apps that are attractive and easy to use.

Full-Stack Development Outsourcing: Building complete software solutions, from backend systems to frontend interfaces.

Custom Software Development: Developing tailored software to solve unique business challenges.

Final Thoughts

IT Outsourcing in Hungary gives global companies an edge by combining skilled talent, competitive pricing, and a commitment to innovation. Whether you’re looking for Frontend Development Outsourcing, Full-Stack Development Outsourcing, or end-to-end software solutions, Hungary offers reliable partners who care about your success.

If you’re searching for new ways to stay ahead in a competitive market, Hungary could be the smart choice that helps you innovate, grow, and deliver better results to your customers.