Notices by Kevin Rothrock (kevinrothrock@infosec.exchange)

nothing to see here, just the U.S. president urging the Iranians to evacuate their capital city of 10 million people

this is quite good

today i learned that Russia has no spies in Ukraine, and Ukrainians are too resilient to collaborate with Russia 😐

remember, kids: Israel warns, whereas Iran...

“'By God, we’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all,' President George H.W. Bush said proudly at the end of a speech to state legislators at the White House in March 1991."

I dunno what disease ails America today, but a Vietnam syndrome maybe isn't so bad.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/us/politics/washington-military-parade-1991.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PE8.5YP0.k188sUeQINHx&smid=nytcore-android-share

looooooool

Perfection. No notes.

Fascinating interviews with Russian journalists who never emigrated and stuck with the profession. Their harsh criticisms of the exiled independent press are profound — a real gut punch. Russian & Western audiences seem to have completely opposite demands & expectations. https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/29/there-s-no-such-thing-as-safety

In NYRB, Adam Hochschild reviews a recent book by Manisha Sinha that treats Reconstruction America as our 2nd Republic, postulating that the the South's racist retrenchment later fueled the rise of the U.S. Empire. The Trump era fits this unfortunate trend. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/05/29/one-brief-shining-moment-rise-and-fall-of-the-second-american-republic/

Zelensky comments on his two phone calls with Trump today and reiterates Ukraine’s readiness for peace, but he again describes a “full and unconditional ceasefire,” which Putin has explicitly rejected. Russia demands *conditions* for any ceasefire, so clearly there’s no deal unless somebody wavers.

Another interview with Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, but this one features maybe her best articulation yet of Bluesky's vision and appeal. "Nobody is fully grasping that this is potentially the last social identity you have to create." It's a "digital passport that moves with you." https://www.wired.com/story/big-interview-jay-graber-bluesky/

Pretty smart move here, though I wonder what Trump's reaction will be if Zelensky refuses to meet with whatever underling Putin sends, if it goes that way.

You’re the red, white, and bluuuue
The funny things you doooo
America, America, this is you

Oh well. https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-x-twitter-eu-users-decline

Scathing investigation by Propublica and The Oregonian reveals that Nike's infamous sweatshop practices are hardly a thing of the past. Focusing on a supplier in Cambodia, journalists documented working conditions and low pay that make your skin crawl. https://www.propublica.org/article/nike-wages-clothing-factory-cambodia

Zelensky says Putin’s ceasefire response is a “manipulative” attempt to “drag out” the process until it fails. Very smartly, he takes a moment to mock Putin for being “afraid to tell Trump directly” that he rejects the offer. Feed Trump’s ego while insulting Putin — something for everyone.

Rubio en route to Saudi Arabia lays out Washington’s shuttle diplomacy philosophy. Whatever the U.S. can force on Kyiv, I doubt America has the leverage to compel Moscow to “do difficult things.” So long as Russia advances, a “military solution” potentially exists. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/us/politics/rubio-ukraine-russia.html

Another thank you requested and promptly received.

WaPo diplomacy and national security reporter John Hudson says the Trump admin is now considering “ending all ongoing shipments of military aid to Ukraine” as punishment for Zelensky’s Oval Office “remarks.”

Zelensky has now responded to his Oval Office meeting with this series of tweeted thanks to world leaders reaching out in consolation.