Ukraine
5 Things You Need to Know About Trump and Putin's First Date
It’s finally happening. On Tuesday it was announced that the first bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will take place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany. Just a partial list of topics that need attention include ...read more
This Disastrous Exchange Between Donald Trump and George Stephanopoulos Proves He is Completely Unfit For Office
Over the weekend, Donald Trump's handlers stupidly allowed him to be interviewed by George Stephanopoulos on ABC to talk about his presidential campaign, Vladimir Putin, and foreign policy. Knowing him, it is remarkable that those responsible for getting him elected would put ...read more
President Obama Clearly Doesn't Want Democrats Attending Netanyahu Speech
On Monday afternoon, President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House to break the unsurprising news that the United States has not decided to provide lethal arms to Ukraine. That's a decision I kind of agree ...read more
Bill Maher Completely Stumps Republican Critics With One Simple Question
Criticism of President Obama's Ukraine policy, like most Republican criticism of the President, is long on dumb shit and short on better ideas. On this weekend's Real Time with Bill Maher (Special "Book Conservatives Whose Names Sound Like Fraggle Rock Characters" Edition), the ...read more
Joe Biden Once Went Badass On Vladimir Putin In His Own Building
Having written not one, but two posts about Joe Biden in four days, I was going to leave the guy alone for a bit, but there's a profile on the Vice President in the latest New Yorker with a nugget just too awesome to ignore. On the heels of the downing of a Malaysia Airlines ...read more
MSNBC Gets Burned By "Howard Stern" Prank Caller While Covering Ukraine Crash
A Malaysia Airlines flight has crashed over eastern Ukraine and may have been shot down by Soviet-era anti-aircraft equipment (though nothing is confirmed as yet). All 296 people on board are dead, and the possibility remains that this is a terrorist attack. In other words, the ...read more
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The Shooting Down of a Malaysia Airlines Flight Is a Disaster That Will Be Felt Far and Wide
Update: Despite an initial report from Reuters, there's now a dispute over how many Americans may have been aboard Flight 17. President Obama says there was at least one. It's difficult to overstate just what the shooting down of a passenger plane full of innocent people means ...read more
Finally: Ukrainian Official Calls Vladimir Putin Exactly What He Is
Russian president Vladimir Putin has been called many things: a dictator; a thug; a badass; a crooner; a Hitler; and maybe most damning of all, a Super Bowl ring thief. But of all the labels attached to Putin by his detractors, Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: The Putin Dialogues, Barclays Investments, Patton Oswalt's Tweets, and the Wu-Tang Clan
Happy Thursday! Time flies when you're having fun! Here's what's happening on the interweb: 1. Ukraine Crisis: Pro-Russia Rebel Vote to Go Ahead Pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine have said they will not postpone a referendum on autonomy planned for Sunday. The decision ...read more
'You Got Me All Worked Up': President Obama Gives Fox's Ed Henry an Earful on Foreign Policy Critics
At a joint press conference with President Benigno Aquino III of the Philippines earlier today, Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry asked President Obama to "answer those critics" who say his foreign policy doctrine "is weakness." The President delivered a sharp, ...read more
It's Been a Week, Mr. Snowden, So Where's That Debate About Russian Spying?
It's been about a week since Edward Snowden's epic blunder on RT in which he foolishly handed Vladimir Putin a major propaganda victory, then followed up the appearance by authoring a hamfisted clarification published in The Guardian. In the article, Snowden explained that his ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Ukraine Attacks, Erick Erickson Responses, Getting Fingered While Crowdsurfing, and Orange Is Still The New Black
Happy Thursday! Enjoy counting down to a weekend where you'll probably have lots of spring chores to do! Here's what's happening on the interweb: 1. Ukraine Attack in Sloviansk Draws Stern Putin Warning Commandos have moved on the separatist stronghold of Sloviansk in ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Sotomayor Dissents, Russia Responses, American Middle Classes, and Apocalyptic Angel Armies
Happy Wednesday! Hope you didn't binge too much on that silly cheap post-Easter candy! Here's what's happening on the interweb: 1. Sonia Sotomayor Delivers Blistering Dissent Against Affirmative Action Ban The Supreme Court upheld Michigan's ban on affirmative action ...read more
President Obama: U.S. Military 'Significantly Superior' to Russia's
During his trip to Oakdale, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, President Obama sat down for an interview with CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett. While the President used the interview to reinforce the clinical talk of "consequences" for Russia if the situation in ...read more
There Is a Military Solution to Ukraine Crisis: P90X
For the past two days, the situation in Ukraine has dominated the White House daily press briefings like no story in recent (or not-so-recent) memory, and as is usually the case when the press corps makes such a unanimous run at a story, there has been precious little news to ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Ukraine Civil Wars, Attorney General Youthful Experimentation, Michelle Malkin's History of Hatred, and Robert Downey Jr.
Happy Tuesday! We're halfway done with April! Whoa! Here's what's happening on the interweb: 1. Ukraine Says It Is Launching Counteroffensive; Russia's PM Says Nation On Brink Of Civil War The Ukrainian government announced the start of a staged counteroffensive Tuesday to ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Security Bugs, Russia Warnings, Geocentric Theories, and 20-Year Old Offspring
Happy Wednesday! Ten deep breaths and tons of coffee! Here's what's happening on the interweb: 1. Critical Security Bug 'Heartbleed' Hits Up To 66 Percent Of The Internet As much as 66 percent of the Web may have been compromised by a newly revealed security flaw called ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Ukraine Deja Vu, Dumb Americans, New Yorker Covers, and Super Mario
Happy Tuesday! It's all happening! But here's what's happening on the interweb: 1. Pro-Russian Activists Declare East Ukrainian Region Independent, Call for Referendum Pro-Moscow activists barricaded inside government buildings in eastern Ukraine proclaimed their regions ...read more
Award-Winning Journalist Thomas Ricks Goes to War Against Greenwald
Of course it's too late now. Glenn Greenwald and Edward Snowden will never deign to condemn Russia for its surveillance abuses or, specifically, its aggression against Ukraine. Once again, Greenwald and Snowden have been called out for their hypocrisy on this issue and, as we've ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Obama Threats, Shorter Drug Sentences, Arthur Chu, and Crushing
Happy Thursday. We've almost done it! Here's what's happening on the interweb: 1. Obama: Russia Could Face 'Costs' Over Ukraine Actions President Barack Obama says that if Russia continues an aggressive path in Ukraine, the United States and other countries will, in his ...read more
Exclusive to The Daily Banter: Live From Crimea
by Askold Krushelnycky Another day in Crimea & more disturbing things the day after Russians fired on OSCE & on a Ukrainian military plane. The Russian police arrested the Ukranian community leader here & another activist & then apparently handed them over to the thug who is ...read more
Sadly, US Has No Right to Lecture Russia on International Law
"The proposed referendum on the future of Crimea would violate the Ukrainian constitution and violate international law...Any discussion about the future of Ukraine must include the legitimate government of Ukraine. In 2014 we are well beyond the days when borders can be ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Here Comes World War III, Christians Slam "Noah," Sexting Suicide, and Masturbation Clubs
Happy Friday. Hopefully you're ready for the weekend, but before you head out the door to get underway with it, here's some random internet nonsense. This should pass the time nicely. 1. The U.S. and E.U. are getting together to tag-team Nikolai Volkoff. They'd just better ...read more
Republican Fashionistas Can't Stop Evaluating the President's Clothing
President Obama is a bit of a nerd. Not a huge nerd, but occasionally a little nerdish. No need to stop the presses because this isn't news, nor is it at all consequential in terms of the president's toughness or how he leads the free world. For example, ask Anwar Al-Awlaki or ...read more
Media Piles on Abby Martin, Our Role in It, and My Apology
The entire internet is raining fire on Abby Martin right now. Not because she stood up to her employer, RT, but because she was "outed" as a former member of the 9/11 truth movement in her early 20s. For the sake of complete transparency, I have always known this about Abby. ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Wendy Davis Wins, DC Weed Decriminalized, RT Anchor Rebels, and Hoverboards
Happy Wednesday. How full is your glass? Here's what's happening on the interweb: 1. Wendy Davis Wins Primary In Texas Gubernatorial Race Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis is officially the Democratic nominee for governor, the Associated Press reports. Davis, the clear ...read more
Peak Buzzfeed: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Explained With GIFs from 'The Hill'
I'm not making that up. Buzzfeed, which is essentially Patient Zero in the viral death of digital journalism, really posted this. This is wrong on so many levels beginning with the overall seriousness of the situation in Crimea and how Benny Johnson diminished it down to ...read more
RT Network Journalist Abby Martin Stands Up to Russian Aggression Against Ukraine
Every now and then, a journalist takes a real risk, whether it be to their lives in order to get a story, or to their careers by ignoring conflicts of interests regarding their employer. Yesterday, RT Network presenter Abby Martin did just that by openly defying the owners of ...read more
President Obama Is Neither a Weak, Indecisive Liberal nor a Blood-Thirsty, Warmongering Conservative
If you were to ask Glenn Greenwald or David Sirota about President Obama, they'll tell you he's a blood-thirsty, warmongering murderer of women and children. Indeed, the far-left believes the president is an Muslim-hating drone-aholic whose "secret kill list," his order to ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Iconic Photos, Crooked Olympic Judges, Dumb Frat Boys, and Empire Records
It's Friday, so no matter what else is going on in your life there's still that. Here are a couple of headlines and some assorted nonsense to help you pass the time while you wait to start your weekend. 1. Blood Shot Of all the incredible and shocking pictures to come out of ...read more
THE MORNING BANTER: Ukraine Protests, North Korean Drawings, Jimmy Fallon Ratings, and Breaking Bad Discussions
Happy Wednesday. Here's a picture of Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams, and here's what's happening on the interweb: 1. Ukraine Protests: Dozens Killed, Hundreds Injured As Police And Demonstrators Clash In Kiev The ministry of health says that 25 people have died and over ...read more
Dramatic Photos & Livestream From the Massive Protest in Kiev, Ukraine
UPDATE: Defiant protesters shouted "Glory to Ukraine" as burning tents lit up the night sky after thousands of riot police moved against the sprawling protest camp in the center of Kiev on Tuesday. The police, armed with stun grenades and water cannons, attacked the camp after ...read more
Watch World Heavy Weight Boxing Champion Vitali Klitskcho Stop a Riot in Ukraine
Vitali Klitschko, the 6ft 7 WBC heavyweight boxing titleholder managed to almost single handedly defuse a volatile demonstration between anti-government protesters and police on Sunday in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Klitschko, who holds a doctorate in sports science, is the ...read more