Big brain move: notice the market get too volatile and insecure, so you keep changing the economic outlook every 12 hours so that the big players don't know wtf is happening and decide to just hold out for a while and not sell anything.

//

On another note, it's hard to appreciate the timescale of the American empire while you're living through it. I just noticed that the possibly strongest empire in human history started to crumble after what, 70-80 years? I usually think of empires lasting for centuries, with generations and generations of a golden age.

new megathread, hot off the presses

Nicaragua has withdrawn its support for South Africa's case against the Apartheid entity at the ICJ, confirmed on 3 April - ICJ official post

No immediate reason was given, but it is suspected that Trump had painted a target on Nicaragua's back and may have threatened to retaliate against the 450,000 Nicaraguans living in the US, in addition to Nicaragua's cordial relations with South Africa (who is now also being accused of complicity in 7 October, as an escalation of atrocity propaganda by the Orange Führer's friends).

Death to ameriKKKa

The Antifascist International, Ecuador Chapter, denounces fraud in Ecuador's presidential election. “Faced with this emergency, we call on the Ecuadorian people to active and organized resistance. The struggle continues and must intensify in the streets.."

The International Collective of CELAC Social denounces “the serious attack on the popular will” committed in Ecuador's presidential election. The Executive Secretariat of ALBA says that irregularities in Ecuador's runoff election suggests “the execution of a clear premeditated electoral fraud.”

Not sure what to think of this article. The article is originally published in Pakistan, but the author is apparently from Bangladesh:
https://www.pressenza.com/2025/04/india-defending-chinese-threat-from-bangladeshs-soil/

Conspiracy theories across the border may sound interesting, but equally disgusting. It is frustrating when scores of Indian so-called defense experts and former military hawks speak and write with confidence that China will establish an airbase (not a military base) in northern Bangladesh to battle the Indians to cut off the so-called ‘Chicken Neck’ or Siliguri Corridor, which physically connects India with North East states.

The consequential theory simmering in the heads of Indian defense analysts claims that the Chinese will severe North East (which is also known as Seven Sisters) from the Chicken Neck. Incidentally, millions of Chinese soldiers (People’s Liberation Army) will invade from the northeastern Chinese borders.

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh in a ‘friendly message’ in December 2024, commented that Bangladesh’s armed forces are no match for India and that Bangladesh’s political leaders should “think carefully” about the ongoing turmoil.

Wisconsin teen killed parents as part of Trump assassination plot - apnews link as well.

A newly unsealed search warrant also alleges that the suspect's phone contained material relating to a neo-Nazi group called the Order of Nine Angles and praise for Adolf Hitler.

The alleged double murder "appeared to be an effort to obtain the financial means and autonomy necessary to carrying out his plan", investigators wrote.

The trump would-be-assassins are getting crazier every time

US airstrikes did continue on Yemen for the 30th night in a row, with strikes targeting a factory leading to the killing of civilians. Sana’a and Marib Governorate were targeted by multiple rounds of airstrikes. There were two significant statements from the Yemeni Armed Forces, one to do with firing Medium Range Ballistic Missiles (MRBMs) at Israel, another to do with shooting down the 19th MQ-9 Reaper drone.

The launching of MRBMs at Israel again is a significant development. It's been 14 days, exactly two weeks, since the last MRBM launch, and 17 days since the last launch of a MaRV capable Palestine-2 MRBM. So Ansarallah is fighting to maintain and rebuild capabilities amongst the intense US Navy air campaign against it. As a commentator pointed out earlier today, THAAD air defence interceptor missiles were likely used to intercept the MaRV of the Palestine-2 missile. There were pictures of the boosters online.

As for how the MQ-9s get shot down even during the ongoing SEAD campaign, these shootdowns don't happen over Sana'a or Saada Governorates where a pathway has been opened up to allow them to operate without being shot down and even on video, but in other areas. Also, there is a surface to air loitering munition that Ansarallah have called Missile-358. It's basically a Lancet, but for taking out air targets. It's not a traditional air defence system with a radar and so forth. Perfect for slow and low flying drones in visual range like the MQ-9.

Warning for potential graphic imagery of casualties during ongoing airstrikes:

Al Masirah TV twitter

Xcancel mirror

Clarification: China has stopped exports of almost all rare earth minerals and magnets, while they implement a new system that will prevent those minerals & magnets from reaching select US corporations, primarily US weapons manufacturers. Then, exports will resume.

Ecuador Election Update BREAKING: “We don’t recognize the results,” says Revolución Ciudadana candidate.

• Kawsachuan News

Vargas Llosa has died.

Peruvian writer and politician Mario Vargas Llosa died this Sunday in Lima, where he lived with his family. Since distancing himself from left-wing politics, he has embraced right-wing politics. In 1989, The Washington Post would write that though Vargas Llosa's party appeared center-right, "he has ties with far-right politicians in other countries".

Vargas Llosa has continued to be criticized due to his association with far-right groups and politicians. The Christian Science Monitor would call Vargas Llosa "a right-wing maverick" while Jacobin would plainly describe him as a "far-right novelist".

Vargas Llosa has described himself as a supporter of liberalism and said that the individuals who have had most impact on his political thought have included Karl Popper, Friedrich Hayek and Isaiah Berlin. According to The Nation, Vargas Llosa would condemn leftist groups entirely due to the controversies of some while minimizing similar actions by neoliberal governments.

He supported right-wing libertarian candidate Javier Milei in the 2023 Argentine general election. Following the arrest of Augusto Pinochet for crimes against humanity in 1999, Vargas Llosa would write an op-ed in The New York Times asking why left wing dictators were also not being arrested.

During the 2022 Brazilian general election, Vargas Llosa expressed his endorsement for conservative leader Jair Bolsonaro. "The case of Bolsonaro it's a hard question. His jokes are very hard to endorse, for a liberal [...] Now, between Bolsonaro and Lula, I prefer Bolsonaro. Even with jokes from Bolsonaro, Lula no." said Vargas Llosa at a conference

Ecuador Election Update (Sources: Radio Pichincha):

Luiza Gonzalez: denounces electoral fraud after the first official results of the ballot. “There are about 11 polls in which all of them, even those of the government itself, gave us the victory”, she emphasizes. “I denounce before my people, the media and the world that we are living a dictatorship and we are facing the worst and most grotesque electoral fraud in the history of the Republic of Ecuador”, she asserts.

“In the name of the men, women, children and young people we represent, in the name of the people we represent, we do not recognize the results presented by the CNE”, said Luisa Gonzalez from the headquarters of Revolucion Ciudadana. She also indicated that they will request the recount of votes and the opening of the ballot boxes.

Correristas claim they have 52% of the votes, against 48% of Daniel Narcoa

Ex-Marxist turned right-winger Mario Vargas Llosa, candidate for the Peruvian presidency in 1990, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature, has died at the age of 89.

https://elpais.com/cultura/2025-04-14/muere-mario-vargas-llosa-gigante-de-las-letras-universales.html

Article is too long to post here so, tl;dr: Over 100,000 Israelis have stopped appearing for reserve duty. Attendance rates for the reserves have reportedly dropped to 50-60 percent.

https://www.972mag.com/israeli-army-refusal-crisis-gaza-war/

Stranger still, is that the gap isn't narrowing much as the CNE count progresses through provinces where the RC excels. CNE's figures suggest that Luisa didn't gain votes even with all the endorsements she received in round 1. Not even Pachakutik's votes? Inconceivable.

• Kawsachuan News

Pavel Palisa a top ukrainian official wants women conscripted into army. "No matter how wild it sounds now, maybe we need to learn the experience of Israel in this" https://zamin.uz/en/world/147845-ukraine-may-introduce-mandatory-military-service-for-women.html

CNE results site: Daniel Noboa holds a 12-point lead over Luisa González with 80.53% of votes counted.

• Kawsachuan News

I guess Noboa is going to win. CIA/US wins once again

russians struck some military ceremony in center of sumy, but hit civilians nearby :(

what being a lib does to mfers, just strike z-man, ffs.

The Pennsylvania governor's house got set on fire last night, no injuries.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/13/us/pennsylvania-governor-josh-shapiro-arson/index.html

Mearsheimer has given an interview to one of the Finnish tabloid rags and this also made the national news today which was citing the tabloid article.

The article part tries to shit on him but also states his views on how he thinks Finland joining nato was a mistake, the Finnish president is a lib and that the Ukraine war is the result of nato expansion. This might be worth reading via translate as the tabloid tries very hard to undermine his opinions, but as they try to be nuanced, it largely fails in this.

The article seems to have 1000 comments, but those can't be read without signing into their site. That is a lot of cope for a country this size.

After a few good days for "Nothing ever happens" gang, the we're so fucked caucus rises;

*SEMICONDUCTOR, ELECTRONIC TARIFFS WILL COME IN A MONTH OR SO, LUTNICK SAYS

*PHARMACEUTICAL TARIFFS ALSO COMING IN NEXT MONTH OR TWO -LUTNICK

China has officially halted shipments of several rare earth minerals to the US.

Some good news;

TRUMP TARIFF DRAMA DEEPENS AS MUSK PUBLICLY CLASHES WITH ADVISERS, DEFIES CABINET PROTOCOL – POLITICO

Not primary source, but (BadEmbanada) video which summarizes and cites them.

Jews Have Religious Right to Genocide, Says Israeli Supreme Court ["Israel is Jewish ISIS"]

Israeli Supreme Court cites the Bible to justify starving Palestinians, ethnic cleansing, explicitly refusing to follow international humanitarian law and distinguish between civilians and military targets, etc.

Quite a fucking confession.

Left-wing and progressive parties in Ecuador express concern over the series of irregularities by the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the government of presidential candidate Daniel Noboa, implemented just hours before today's presidential runoff elections.

The statement reads:

Throughout the electoral process, we have witnessed the shameful role played by the National Electoral Council (CNE). It has failed to fulfill the functions established in the Constitution, which, among other things, mandates that it be the overseer of the electoral process and guarantor of transparency and equality for all contestants in the elections, but none of this has been fulfilled. The latest events we note below should concern and outrage all of us who defend democracy and transparency.

• Last-minute relocation of 18 polling stations under the guise of winter weather. Rain has been ongoing for two months, and flooding has been punishing for two weeks. However, the decision was made at the last minute. Coincidentally, these changes affect the precincts where the ruling party did not perform well in the first round.

• National government broadcasts, four times a day, in complete electoral silence, announcing alleged government actions; something that is expressly prohibited by law, but the CNE remains silent.

• Delegations of international election observers are prevented from entering the country.

• Use of state resources to distribute bonuses (USD 570 million), last-minute payments to state suppliers, and unofficial trips by the presidential candidate, all for the purpose of campaigning.

• Decree of a state of emergency in 7 provinces, suspending the civil rights of inviolability of the home, correspondence, movement, and assembly; Coincidentally, these are the same provinces where presidential candidate Noboa failed to receive a favorable vote in the first round.

• Suspension of voting for Ecuadorians in Venezuela.

We demand that the CNE assume its responsibility and guarantee transparent elections within the framework of the law. We are vigilant for the good of the country; we will not allow them to violate democratic principles. We alert international organizations, the EU, the UN, the OAS, and civil society oversight bodies about these regrettable events that continue to affect our country's weak democracy and hinder this process of citizen participation.

• Twitter - Kawsachuan News

Apparently Avelo airlines has become the first/only commercial airline to publicly announce a contract with ICE for doing deportation. Usually it's little charter airlines that do it.

Can't resist those juicy PIC moneys for enhanced profit!

USA Today: Why are tens of thousands of people boycotting this little-known airline?

Don't worry, though. 30k people have signed a petition!!!!

And, sorry/not sorry: because I found this gem of an opinion piece by a genocidal liberal fuckwit apologizing for this "just doing business" nonsense, you have to read it too.

Avelo Airlines — neither woke nor broke (apparently—according to Startpage—originally titled "Anger at Avelo deportation flights is misplaced. Here's why."

The airline is only doing this because it allows you your cheap tourism, folks. We all know that flying commercial passengers is done out of the goodness of their hearts, and will continue despite not being profitable (enough), so long as they can get better money from ICE! Sorry, but the ethnic cleansing is necessary for you to have your treats! And, after all, you can't blame the furnace companies for supplying the Nazis or anything; they were just in the business of making furnaces!

Freikorps, but more institutional. This is exactly what ICE was created for.

Lmao, apparently Trump is now calling the tariff exemption "fake news." Here's the content of his Truth Social post, which is apparently now how trade policy is being "clarified."

Monday is going to be wild.

Bernie "Don't call it a genocide" Panders was at Coachella.