I agree. When I read that China is winning I have to laugh. Their economy is teetering on falling off the cliff. It reminds me of when japan was going to supplant the US as top dog. China is already in a deflationary spiral we will see if they are the first country in history to be able to put the end to the boom bust cycle. My guess is they won’t.
The B-52 couldn’t provide CAS against an advanced military but it absolutely has against insurgents like the Taliban. However, it the most capable air-based missile launcher we have. It can fly more than 8000 miles before refueling and launch missiles 600 miles away from its target. Basically it can take off in Minot, ND and fly to Ukraine, launch 20 missiles from safety and fly back to its home base with a single air refuel. Or if utilizing Diego Garcia it could theoretically almost make the trip without refueling like they did in Iraq. This keeps them safe from enemy defenses and utilizes the stealth and avoidance detection of the missiles themselves.
Hilarious. So sending a fraction of one year's U.S. spending for national defense on Ukraine's defense is equal to spending ourselves into bankruptcy? Even when a fair amount of that generosity is in the form of used equipment that we were likely never going to use again? And when the net result of that spending will save the U.S. trillions of dollars over the next decade? Seriously? You do know that we're on track to spend as much on student loan forgiveness in 2.5 years as we've sent to Ukraine, don't you? And student loan forgiveness will only cost more money over the next decade; it will not save money like aid to Ukraine will.
Putin admits defeat in Avdiivka. Sort of. He is trying to lower expectations of his offensive in the Avdiivka area, because Russia is not having much success there. He will continue to send soldiers into Avdiivka to die, because that's kind of leader he is, but he doesn't want anyone to expect any positive results from the attack. Putin may be trying to lower expectations around a major assault as Russia looks unlikely to make significant progress, experts say
Janet Yellen wants the U.S. to finance both wars: Ukraine and Israel/Gaza. She says "we can afford it", claiming the U.S. economy is doing "extremely well". If Israel can afford their own war, they should pay for it. The Palestinians are not much of a match for the Israeli army, and Ukraine needs all the help it can get. The aircraft carrier group in the Mediterranean is more than enough help for Israel, I believe. And no, I would not say that all sectors of the U.S. economy are doing extremely well (Linked In just laid off 668 employees). The US can afford to give money to both Israel and Ukraine since its economy is doing 'extremely well,' Janet Yellen says
Agreed, no reason we should be sending aid to Israel now. If Iran, Syria and Egypt get in on the action then that’s a different story.
Israel needs some specified aid, mainly replenishing SAMs, IIRC. We can afford and should. We have already committed naval and air assets strategically in theatre . We are part of it already.
You are correct. Israel needs very different aid than Ukraine. We already paid it forward with Israeli aid to the tune of billions of dollars a year, so most of what we give to Israel is already there, and what isn’t is not the sort of ordnance we are supplying to Ukraine as a rule. From my perspective, our main source of aid to Israel is not material. It’s the diplomatic, informational, and military deployment measures we are taking to keep the war from escalating.
First use of ATACMS in Ukraine. Ukraine reports the following BDA: WSJ News Exclusive | Ukraine Fires ATACMS Missile at Russian Forces for the First Time
It is a long-range munition that can be fired out of a HIMARS. A typical HIMARS rocket has a range of about 50 miles. An ATACMS has a range of about 180-200 miles, depending on the warhead. Ukraine can now hit deep targets anywhere in Ukraine. Russia will have to pull back certain assets even farther.
How long before the hit the bridge? Or do you think they came with limits and the bridge is off limits?
something that would have likely have saved thousands and thousands of Ukrainian soldiers if Biden would have sent them earlier and in greater numbers. precision guided missile with no real air defense and a longer range than the himars previously provided. Same launcher is my understanding. I believe i read that if adapted to an air launch platform the atacms can go even further. these could have destroyed Russian logistics, aircraft/bases within 150 miles of the front which would have changed russian operational capacity to supply the artillery that has been the strength of their defense.
I am uncomfortable with this level of deficit spending but quoting it in numbers is rather pointless. Quote it as a percentage of gdp gives it a more meaningful basis.
more smoke. hopefully the chosen successor abandons Ukraine and this war and the illegal annexation of Crimea dies with Putin but it appears that the power circle may prefer a doppelganger to keep Putin alive in the public eye while they control the power from behind. Not an indicator that anything is likely to change Vladimir Putin's Inner Circle Chooses Successor as Ailing Russian Leader's Health Suffers Sharp Decline: Report (msn.com) Vladimir Putin’s inner circle reportedly chose a successor to take the Russian leader’s place should he die in office, RadarOnline.com has learned. In the latest development to come following rumors and reports that Putin’s health suffered a sharp decline in recent months, sources familiar with the matter indicated that Moscow found someone to succeed the 71-year-old Russian leader. ............... According to Daily Mail, Putin’s inner circle selected a successor over the weekend after the Russian despot’s doctor said that Putin’s death was “only a matter of time.” The Telegram channel General SVR also claimed that Putin’s rumored battles with cancer and Parkinson’s disease had advanced significantly in recent weeks and that his death is "imminent amid a sharp deterioration in his health.” .......................... “There is a general understanding that for some time it is possible to use a double of the president after the death or removal from power of the real Vladimir Putin,” the channel continued. “Almost all interested parties are ready to rally around a double who can be controlled.”
That's ridiculous. We used to measure our NATIONAL DEBT as a percentage of GDP, clear through Obama. Now you want to measure our ANNUAL DEFICIT as a measure of GDP. That's very indicative of the problem The 'T' in Trillion in terms of deficit spending still passes me of off, and it damn well ought every American, regardless of political stripe.
