Tootfinder

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges.
The military will begin sending groups of 150 attorneys
— both military and civilians
— to the Justice Department “as soon as practicable”
The military services should have the first round of people identified by next week, according to the Aug. 27 memo.
The effort comes as the Trump administration more regularly turns…

Pete Hegseth approves 600 military lawyers to be temporary immigration judges
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press. The military will begin sending groups of 150 attorneys — both military and civilians — to the Justice Department “as soon as practicable” and the military services should have the first round of people identified by next week. That's according to the memo dated Aug. 27. The effort comes a…

So the US hit a Venezuelan drugs vessel and killed 11 people aboard. This way of operating against a ship is so illegal it hurts. No judge, no procedure, just killing...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/politics/us-military-strike-caribbean

US military kills 11 in strike on alleged drug boat tied to Venezuelan cartel, Trump says
The United States conducted a deadly military strike against an alleged drug boat tied to the cartel Tren de Aragua, President Donald Trump said Tuesday.

French military intercepts Russian ship suspected of launching drones into European airspace, Guardian reports: https://benborges.xyz/2025/10/01/french-military-intercepts-russian-ship.html

It's also easy to imagine that Trump is sending his military to Portland. People forget that the military is actually really big and pretty complex.
Most people join the military because they want to get out of poverty. Some people join because they believe in it. A lot of people are just too young to have any kind of politics, but some of them do develop politics in the military... and some of those folks become anarchists.
There are Nazis in the military. It's a big problem. But there are also anarchists who signed up before they developed a critique of the state, and now they're kind of stuck for a few years until they can get out.
It's also worth recognizing that a lot of people join after they graduate. Basic training is like 22 weeks. So, assuming a random selection, there really aren't a lot of folks who would be deploying to PDX who would have joined under Trump. That's just assuming a random selection, and there may be other things at play that I'm not aware of, but the majority of the types of folks who would get deployed now would have joined under Biden.
The troops who will deploy (if they do deploy) may very much not want to be there. These are also not monsters wanting to kill (like Trump wishes them to be). They're kids from nearby towns. That's not awesome, most of Oregon has absolute shit politics. But joining the National Guard doesn't necessarily mean that a person has any politics at all. All of this is worth remembering.

Why No One Understands National Guard Families | Military.com https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/08/29/why-no-one-understands-national-guard-families.html?ESRC=mr_250901.nl

Why No One Understands National Guard Families
Despite making headlines for helping after the catastrophic flooding in Texas or being politicized as President Donald Trump deploys it to police U.S. cities, the National Guard remains a mystery to both civilians and the active-duty force.

As the Military Occupies your Town, Give them Flowers and a Note
https://www.juancole.com/2025/10/military-occupies-flowers.html

Top #DrumpfAdmn Officials including Marco Rubio, Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem know where they're not wanted ...and that is polite society...so they now hideout on secure gated #beltway #military bases in homes formerly only a…

Top Trump Officials Are Moving Onto Military Bases
Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem, and others have taken over homes that until recently housed senior officers.

US military kills 11 in strike on alleged drug boat tied to Venezuelan cartel, Trump says (Jennifer Hansler/CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/politics/us-military-strike-caribbean
http://www.memeorandum.com/250902/p132#a250902p132

Pirates of the Mediterranean.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is being entirely ignored, it seems.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/01/israeli-military-vessels-pro-palestinian-flo…

Ukrainian military: Russian troops in Pokrovsk lie low as they await reinforcements: https://benborges.xyz/2025/11/01/ukrainian-military-russian-troops-in.html

Israeli naval forces board pro-Palestinian flotilla 75 miles from Gaza
About 20 Israeli naval ships approached the fleet of more than 40 boats carrying aid, activists on board say
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/01/israeli-m…

Any sort of •actual• strength is a threat to that illusion. A real strongman makes the photo cut-out look cheap, laughable.
Say what you will about US imperialism and the military-industrial complex, but the military is truly full of people who possess actual strength and discipline and do extremely difficult jobs well. It is full of people whose daily life makes a mockery of fascism’s cartoonish masculinity. And — devastating!! — many of those people are women! brown people! Black people! with all kids of bodies! who look all kinds of ways! The existence of a competent military is a threat to fascism that must be contained for fascism to spread.
4/

Q&A with Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar on surveillance, AI, the future of war, data, privacy, the US military, ImmigrationOS, the DHS, ICE, the UK's IDs, and more (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/opinion/palantir-shyam-sankar-military.htm…

Opinion | What Palantir Sees
The tech company’s C.T.O. on surveillance, A.I. and the future of war.

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
violated federal law by using the US military to help carry out law enforcement activities in and around Los Angeles this summer.
US District Judge Charles Breyer concluded that Trump’s use of thousands of federalized California National Guard members and US Marines to provide protection to federal agents during an aggressive immigration crackdown in the Los Angeles area ran afoul of the Posse Comi…

Judge says Trump administration’s use of US military in Los Angeles violated federal law
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated federal law by using the US military to help carry out law enforcement activities in and around Los Angeles this summer.

Poland launches its largest military drills as Russia, Belarus set to hold exercises: https://benborges.xyz/2025/09/02/poland-launches-its-largest-military.html

Army Soldier Recalls the Day that Victory over Japan Was Declared | Military.com #history

What It Was Like to Be Fighting the Japanese on V-J Day
It took almost a week to convince the six to seven thousand Japanese on Cebu that the war was really over. They had to be provided with radio communication to hear their emperor declare it was so.

“Israel’s army is using remote-controlled vehicles packed with explosives to demolish entire neighbourhoods in besieged Gaza City after issuing a ‘last chance’ to leave warning to hundreds of trapped Palestinians.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/livebl…

LIVE: Israel bombs Gaza homes; military intercepts last flotilla boat
Israel’s army issues ‘final warning’ for hundreds of thousands of people to flee Gaza City as attacks escalate.

US ICE in full military gear jumping out of unmarked vans to disappear protestors in Portland.
This is modern fascism.
This is Trump's dystopian America.
This is a disgusting, immoral, breach of the social contract.
This must be stopped.
https://www.

Hegseth's Decision on Wounded Knee Medals Sparks Outrage in Native American Communities | Military.com
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/10/01/hegseths-decision-wounded-knee-medals-sparks-outrage-native-american-communities.html

The US Mainstream Media Is Catastrophically Failing To Meet The Moment
Techdirt wrote about Trump’s extraordinary admission that he was basing military deployment decisions on old Fox News footage and lies from his advisors. But there’s an even more damning story here: how that revelation almost never saw the light of day because of journalistic cowardice.

The Mainstream Media Is Catastrophically Failing To Meet The Moment
Earlier today we wrote about Trump’s extraordinary admission that he was basing military deployment decisions on old Fox News footage and lies from his advisors. But there’s an even mor…

Trump threatens US military action in Nigeria over treatment of Christians (Ismail Shakil/Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/trump-threatens-us-military-action-nigeria-over-treatment-christians-2025-11-01/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251101/p47#a251101p47

Two things are worth noticing right now:
1. The military brass *did not* respond well to Trump and Hegseth.
2. The deployment to #Portland keeps getting delayed.
The military will never say "no" to the president (unless he's literally ordering them to open fire on unarmed civilians or something equally obviously illegal). But there are ways to not comply that don't necessarily involve refusal. Brass showing that they aren't aligned with Trump may weaken his billionaire backers, who might be realizing now that weak dictators who can't lead their militaries tend to get toppled... and their oligarch-backers tend to end up against walls.
If folks being ordered to send troops to #PDX don't want to comply, delaying until the there's an initial response from the lawsuit would be basically impossible to detect. The deployment to LA went far too fast, running into logistical challenges like troops sleeping on the floor. The delays we've already seen could indicate either a more careful approach or quiet resistance.
Trump will continue to escalate at every chance he gets. I would be surprised if PDX didn't give him a fight. I doubt the troops will become more interested in serving a guy who's stabbed them in the back and wasted their time at every opportunity.
It is still possible troops just won't deploy. Trump will make something up about how just the threat of an intervention was enough to make things safe or something like that. If we see that, it's 100% the military telling him to kick rocks because he's not competent enough to know when to back down.
Honestly, I think Trump wants revenge for the resistance PDX put up at the end of his last term. Any backing down from that is absolutely a big loss for him.

Nothing signals the future US military strategy quite like asking Taiwanese companies to stop manufacturing in Taiwan.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/01/taiwan_says_it_wont_help/

Taiwan gets chippy about US request it shifts manufacturing
: US has threatened even higher tariffs and the possible loss of military support

Very good to see this! https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-european-military-just-ditched-microsoft-for-open-source-libreoffice-heres-why/ h/t to @…

Israeli military is water-canoning the activists in the Global #Sumud #Flotilla telling them "if you stop the engine, we stop the water".

In Unhinged Speech, Pete Hegseth Says He's Tired of ‘Fat Troops,’ Says Military Needs to Go Full AI https://www.404media.co/in-unhinged-speech-pete-hegseth-says-hes-tired-of-fat-troops-says-military-needs-to-go-full-ai/

Murder Goose 😝

Now, if the leaders of the world -- people who are leaders by virtue of
political, military or financial power, and not necessarily wisdom or
consideration for mankind -- if these leaders manage not to pull us
over the brink into planetary suicide, despite their occasional pompous
suggestions that they may feel obliged to do so, we may survive beyond
1988.
-- George Rostky, EE Times, June 20, 1988 p. 45

A look at Middle East 24, a new project from right-wing X news aggregator Visegršd 24 that posts articles from anonymous authors and relies on crowdfunding (Ivan L. Nagy/Columbia Journalism Review)
https://www.cjr.org/analysis/gaza-rage-machine-po…

A new Gaza rage machine—with Polish origins.
A site called Visegrád 24 rode the waves of military conflicts and social media angst to become a household name on X. Its new project, Middle East 24, is aiming to do the same.

New military training center for Ukrainian, NATO troops opens in Poland: https://benborges.xyz/2025/10/03/new-military-training-center-for.html

Our government's new theme song. I bet our Big Fool, aka Secty of Defense, would be happy to let our military drown as long as they look like Viking era "warriors".
Our military is already not able to attract people. Now that people who might consider signing on know that their lives would be valueless; that women, minorities, or people who are not blond haired, blue eyed, six footers need not apply; and that commanding officers would be acting on the the Pickett's …

The #GazaGenocide continues.
"The Israeli military has dismantled an entire humanitarian flotilla seeking to break its siege on war-ravaged Gaza, arresting hundreds of activists from dozens of vessels."
Last remaining boat in Gaza humanitarian flotilla intercepted by Israel | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera

Last remaining boat in Gaza humanitarian flotilla intercepted by Israel
The Israeli navy has intercepted all the ships that formed the 44-strong Global Sumud Flotilla.

'This was a momentous occasion staged for 4 distinct audiences: foreign powers, US military, US civilian authorities, and the American people.
All these audiences needed to see in real time POTUS letting those luminaries know that he considers them to be expendable and see them being given their new mission statement: to fulfill POTUS’s desires to use the military against civilians who stand up for democratic freedoms.'
A Holistic Plan for an Authoritarian Military
https://lucid.substack.com/p/a-holistic-plan-for-an-authoritarian

#WarFromWithin pledge taken from Prez #Drumpf amidst unhinged rant at hundreds of #Pentagon's top brass who were forced to sit listening in dead silence lasterday as he allowed US Govt to be forced into shutdown:
“Y…

Trump and Hegseth Gathered U.S. Military Leaders for an “Embarrassing” Rant
Defense officials were shocked at the cost and danger of assembling the military’s top officers to listen to meandering tirades.

While officially unconfirmed,
the air base is widely believed to be the host to U.S. nuclear weapons under NATO’s nuclear sharing arrangements.
The base is also set to serve as the home to F-35 fighter jets beginning in 2027, Belga News Agency reported.
The incident comes amid a surge in mysterious drone sightings across European countries,
raising fears of Russian involvement in hybrid warfare and renewed concern about the alliance's security

Drones spotted over military base in Belgium
The Kleine Brogel Air Base is widely believed to be the host to various U.S. nuclear weapons under NATO’s nuclear sharing arrangements. The base is also set to serve as the home to F-35 fighter jets beginning in 2027, Belga News Agency reported.

Ooh, I feel more US sanctions on the UN coming up. https://flipboard.com/@bbcnews/top-stories-hc55lmo2z/-/a-WOBuTLhPRXugyid_r6rXUg:a:3199692-/0

US strikes on alleged drug boats violate law, UN human rights chief says
The UN's human rights chief has condemned US military strikes on vessels allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific, saying the lethal attacks violate international law and amount to "extrajudicial killing". Volker Türk said on Friday that more than 60 people have reportedly been killed …

This European military just ditched Microsoft for open-source LibreOffice - here's why.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-european-military-just-ditched-microsoft-for-open-source-libreoffice-heres-why/

This European military just ditched Microsoft for open-source LibreOffice - here's why
It's not about the cost savings, either. Many government organizations are replacing Microsoft software for a more important reason.

Russia's Ukraine war spurred a new generation of defense tech investors and startups like Helsing, applying a profit-driven model to Europe's military buildup (Patricia Cohen/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/business/economy/defens…

A.I. Fighter Jets and Cockroach Spies: Inside the Changing Business of War
Russia’s war on Ukraine changed the course of a generation of start-ups and investors that have applied a new business model to Europe’s military buildup.

US conducts lethal strike on 'drug vessel' in Caribbean: Rubio (Filip Timotija/The Hill)
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5482205-us-military-strike-drugs-boat-venezuela/
http://www.memeorandum.com/250902/p102#a250902p102

Read today’s pathetic remarks as an attempt to mock the military and all the people who serve in it so that the fascists can get what they crave: a monopoly on the perception of strength. It is a “culture war” in the truest sense of the word: an attempt to make lies about strength trump actual strength. (The very same principle is at play when fascists mock protestors, but I think the dissonance is culturally easier to spot here.)
Also read it as an attempt to consolidate military power. It is both. These things go together.
Dangerous times.
/end

The large-scale buildup of U.S. military forces and assets in the Caribbean suggests that the Trump administration may be preparing
the first U.S. strikes on Venezuela.

U.S. forces in the Caribbean include eight Navy warships,
a special operations vessel
and a nuclear-powered attack submarine.
When the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrives in the Caribbean next week, it will bring with it three more warships and more than 4,000 additional troops

These are the U.S. ships and aircraft massing off Venezuela
The large-scale buildup of U.S. military forces and assets in the Caribbean suggests that the Trump administration is preparing to expand operations.

Just to hammer this home a bit more, I knew a guy who joined the army. I met him after he went AWOL. When he went into the recruiter's office, they asked him if he had any open warrants out for his arrest because they couldn't recruit anyone with a criminal record. He said he did, then they said, "oh, actually, we can help you with all that, don't get caught before we ship you out."
He was just trying to keep himself out of jail. That's not supposed to happen, but it does. IIRC it was on a drug charge, which, also, they're not supposed to take anyone who tests positive for weed... but they also just tell you how to prepare for a drug test.
Another friend joined because she wanted to be part Army Corps of Engineers. A good chunk of the folks I went to school with joined the military after graduation because the other choices were working at the saw mill or working at the canary. If you join the military, you get to go to college. (Or you get to stay out of jail... as long as you don't go AWOL.)

"President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in a 'non-international armed conflict…'"₁
Funny thing about Non-International Armed Conflicts (NIACs), they're "subject to International humanitarian law"₂ and randomly drone striking civilians in boats without any apparent evidence is still a war crime.
sources:
₁

US is in 'armed conflict' with drug cartels, Trump says
President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in an “armed conflict." That's according to a Trump administration memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The memo appears to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers, with Trump effectively declaring that trafficking of drugs into the United States amounts to armed conflict requiring the use of military force — a new rationale for past and future acti…

Nearly 100 activists from
"Jewish Voice for Peace"
filled the lobby of #Palantir’s Seattle offices on July 14, 2025.
Activists carried banners featuring giant eyes with yellow irises:
“First Palantir Surveils, then IDF Kills.”
“First Palantir Tracks, then ICE attacks.”
Arm in arm, they blocked the elevators to the building,
preventing employees from a…

Organizers Are Demanding Palantir Drop Contracts With ICE and Israeli Military
Tech workers are also increasingly determined to hold their workplaces accountable for enabling the genocide in Gaza.

Leaked memo from Hegseth’s brother calls for US army to help with deportations nationwide ‘for years to come’: report | The Independent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/memo-leak-pete-hegseth-military-deportations-b2800978.html

I’m just going to post that Serwer quote again:
❝For as long as I’ve been alive, American presidents have defined tyrants by their willingness to use military force against their own people in reprisal for political opposition. … It is a simple but morally powerful formulation: A leader who uses military force to suppress their political opposition forfeits the right to govern.❞
From @…:
https://mastodon.social/@ErikJonker/115294264182983428

The US is set to raise the number of military vessels deployed near Venezuela to eight this week,
which Maduro described as
“the greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years.”
Following an authorization by Trump to use military force against Latin American drug cartels,
the Associated Press and CBS News report that “the US Navy now has two Aegis guided-missile destroyers — the USS Gravelyand the USS Jason Dunham — in the Caribbean,
a…

Maduro Says US Pointing '1,200 Missiles' at Venezuela After Trump Sends More Warships | Common Dreams
In a press conference on Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said the US has "1,200 missiles" pointed at the country after Trump sent more warships. One US defense official said Trump is gearing up for "Noriega part two," suggesting regime change.

A US court rules that the DOD can classify DJI as a "Chinese Military Company", finds that there is enough evidence that DJI is supported by Chinese government (Sean Hollister/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/news/786540/dji-loses-chinese-mili…

Pentagon can call DJI a Chinese Military Company, court rules
A district court “cannot conclude” that DJI is “indirectly owned by the Chinese Communist Party,” but found the DoD can call it a Chinese military company.

Hegseth to generals: Embrace MAGA military or quit (Colin Demarest/Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/30/hegseth-quantico-military-changes-woke
http://www.memeorandum.com/250930/p79#a250930p79

Mr. Corn called the president’s move an “abuse” that crossed a major legal line.
“This is not stretching the envelope,” he said. “This is shredding it. This is tearing it apart.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u…

Trump ‘Determined’ the U.S. Is Now in a War With Drug Cartels, Congress Is Told
A notice calls the people the U.S. military recently killed on suspicion of drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea “unlawful combatants.”

Ukrainian military: Russian forces encircled near Dobropillya after overconfident push: https://benborges.xyz/2025/09/30/ukrainian-military-russian-forces-encircled.html

Elon Musk’s SpaceX
has taken money directly from Chinese investors,
according to previously sealed testimony,
raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of the United States’ most important military contractors.
The recent testimony,
coming from a SpaceX insider during a court case,
marks the first time direct Chinese investment in the privately held company has been disclosed.
While there is no prohibition on Chinese ownership i…

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies
The newly unsealed testimony marks the first time direct Chinese investment in the company has been disclosed, raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of America’s most important military contractors.

'Disbelief': Pentagon reporter can't find one military official who liked Hegseth's speech (Sarah K. Burris/Raw Story)
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-military-speech/
http://www.memeorandum.com/250930/p143#a250930p143

CNN fact-checker spends four minutes debunking Trump’s multiple ‘lies’ in his speech to US military top brass | The Independent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-military-speech-lies-debunked-cnn-b2836902.html

Ukraine's military says it struck Russia's Karachev Electrodetal plant in Bryansk region with Neptune missiles: https://benborges.xyz/2025/09/29/ukraines-military-says-it-struck.html

Hegseth Lectures Military Brass on 'Woke' Leaders, Fitness and Grooming (Greg Jaffe/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/us/politics/hegseth-military-officers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.p08.uavs.cDGI3I55ddqY&smid=url-share
http://www.memeorandum.com/250930/p142#a250930p142

Russia renews military flights to Syria as it rebuilds relations with Damascus: https://benborges.xyz/2025/10/31/russia-renews-military-flights-to.html

Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio,
Kristi Noem, and others
have taken over homes that until recently housed senior military officers.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/10/trump-officials-military-housing-steph…

Top Trump Officials Are Moving Onto Military Bases
Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem, and others have taken over homes that until recently housed senior officers.

Adam Serwer:
❝For as long as I’ve been alive, American presidents have defined tyrants by their willingness to use military force against their own people in reprisal for political opposition.
…
It is a simple but morally powerful formulation: A leader who uses military force to suppress their political opposition forfeits the right to govern.❞
Today’s headline:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/27/portland-oregon-us-military-trump

U.S. Eyes Striking Venezuelan Military Targets Used for Drug Trafficking (Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/u-s-eyes-striking-venezuelan-military-targets-used-for-drug-trafficking-cafcfe47?st=tchg4R
http://www.memeorandum.com/251031/p51#a251031p51

Airstrikes by the United States of America on boats in the Caribbean and in the Pacific violate international human rights law.
The U.N. human rights chief said Friday that
U.S. military strikes against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean allegedly carrying illegal drugs from South America are
“unacceptable” and must stop.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for an investigation into the strikes, in what appeared to mark t…

UN human rights chief says US strikes on alleged drug boats are 'unacceptable'
The U.N. human rights chief says U.S. military strikes on vessels allegedly carrying illegal drugs from South America are unacceptable and must stop. The condemnation on Friday appeared to mark the first from a U.N. organization. U.S. President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as necessary to stem drug flow into the U.S. Volker Türk, the rights chief, calls for an investigation, noting over 60 reported deaths since early September. The strikes reportedly violate international human right…

Possible military revolt after speech demands - Raw Story
https://www.rawstory.com/hegseth-quantico/

New Pentagon policy undercuts trans troops' ability to ask to stay in the military, AP learns (Konstantin Toropin/Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/transgender-troops-ban-military-trump-9c3018034a2608a28f6146fe17f0fe4b
http://www.memeorandum.com/251031/p147#a251031p147

Ukraine’s military command denies presence of Russian troops in Myrnohrad: https://benborges.xyz/2025/10/29/ukraines-military-command-denies-presence.html

Fact check: Trump makes numerous false claims to generals and admirals, some about the military (Daniel Dale/CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/30/politics/fact-check-trump-military-speech
http://www.memeorandum.com/250930/p137#a250930p137

Military leaders voice concern over Hegseth’s new Pentagon strategy
Multiple top officers, including Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
criticized Hegseth's reordered
U.S. military priorities
— which center on perceived threats to the homeland, narrow U.S. competition with China
— and downplay America’s role in Europe and Africa.

Military leaders voice concern over Hegseth’s new Pentagon strategy
Top military officials have voiced concern over the Trump administration’s forthcoming defense strategy, exposing a divide between the Pentagon’s political and uniformed leadership.

'Deranged behavior': Internet dubs Trump 'mentally unstable' after military threat to ally - Raw Story
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-deranged-unstable-internet/

Ukraine's military denies mass re-deployment of soldiers from air defense to infantry: https://benborges.xyz/2025/08/30/ukraines-military-denies-mass-redeployment.html

Ukrainian military: Pokrovsk not encircled, but Russian drones control all exits: https://benborges.xyz/2025/10/29/ukrainian-military-pokrovsk-not-encircled.html

Stephen Miller Is Hiding From Protesters by Living on Military Base | The New Republic
https://newrepublic.com/post/202463/stephen-miller-kristi-noem-hiding-protesters-military-base-housing

Ukraine's military intelligence claims killing Russian drone operators in occupied Melitopol: https://benborges.xyz/2025/09/28/ukraines-military-intelligence-claims-killing.html

'Too fat to be Commander in Chief?' Hegseth speech backfires as Trump becomes punchline - Raw Story
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-military-fat/

Pentagon authorizes up to 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges (Konstantin Toropin/Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-immigration-judges-trump-pete-hegseth-b07950833591270b926ad86ede8b961f
http://www.memeorandum.com/250902/p79#a250902p79

Extrajudicial killings within the Russian military are becoming more widespread,
according to an investigation published by the Russian independent outlet Verstka.
The practice of "nullifying" (Russian: "obnulenie")
— the Russian military's term for executing its soldiers
— increasingly involves sending personnel on deadly assualt missions without proper protection

'Zeroing out' — Russian troops carry out torture, executions in own ranks, media investigation finds
"You know, what's happening there is that... You never know where the bullet will come from: from your own side or from the Ukrainians," Dmitry, a Russian soldier, told the independent outlet Verstka.

Putin, Kim Jong Un join Xi at military parade in China, 'conspire against' United States: https://benborges.xyz/2025/09/03/putin-kim-jong-un-join.html

"We're bringing them together to hear the views of America's most famous draft dodger, Donald Trump and this frat boy who's spent a few years in the military, but whose life after that in veterans' organizations and everything else was marred by scandal and mismanagement"
'Offends them': Analyst warns top military brass is seething over Hegseth 'waste of time' - Raw Story
https://www.rawstory.com/pete-hegseth-2674106548/

DEBT PIT: Russia pays 4.2 trillion for Special Military Operation! Kremlin lies on economy: https://benborges.xyz/2025/11/02/debt-pit-russia-pays-trillion.html

Trump says military should use U.S. cities as "training grounds" (Avery Lotz/Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/30/trump-military-training-grounds-chicago-portland
http://www.memeorandum.com/250930/p89#a250930p89

Vladimir Putin boasted this week that Russia has tested a
nuclear-powered super torpedo,
the Poseidon, that was unstoppable and more powerful than a nuclear missile,
the second announcement in a week of Russian trials involving
nuclear-powered weapons systems.

Days earlier, Russia announced the test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile,
the Burevestnik or Skyfall,
that seemed in particular to irritate Donald Trump.
In the wake of the tests,…

What we know about the Poseidon, Russia’s new super torpedo
Poseidon is part of Russia’s line up of “super weapons” meant to gain military parity with the West and it can supposedly drown coastal cities.

Russia may be using around 20,000 North Korean workers in military production, Ukrainian general says: https://benborges.xyz/2025/10/01/russia-may-be-using-around.html

Trump's MAGA-fied military prepares for "war from within" (Zachary Basu/Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/01/trump-military-speech-national-guard-cities
http://www.memeorandum.com/251001/p7#a251001p7

The public deserves better than this mealy-mouthed nonsense.
They deserve reporters who can recognize when they’re witnessing something extraordinary and have the courage to say so clearly.
They deserve news organizations that understand the difference between false balance and actual journalism.

The Mainstream Media Is Catastrophically Failing To Meet The Moment
Earlier today we wrote about Trump’s extraordinary admission that he was basing military deployment decisions on old Fox News footage and lies from his advisors. But there’s an even mor…

Ukraine liberates village near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, military says: https://benborges.xyz/2025/09/02/ukraine-liberates-village-near-pokrovsk.html

UK defense secretary arrives in Ukraine as Kyiv signals 'important' military decisions: https://benborges.xyz/2025/09/03/uk-defense-secretary-arrives-in.html

Trump, emboldened by a Republican party that appears willing to let their leader do whatever he wants,
is now threatening to send troops to Democratic-run cities including Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco and New York City,
prompting outcry and accusations of abuse of power.
“He’s really planning a military, repressive force, to go out into the streets of the places that are most likely to resist his dictatorship and to just put down the whole thing by force.”

Trump Officials Move Into Military Residences in D.C. Area (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/us/politics/trump-officials-military-housing.html
http://www.memeorandum.com/251030/p129#a251030p129

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces clear another village near Pokrovsk, military says: https://benborges.xyz/2025/09/02/ukraine-war-latest-ukrainian-forces.html

Honoring Ashli Babbitt Dishonors the Military (Mark Hertling/The Bulwark)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/honoring-ashli-babbitt-dishonors-military-january-6-funeral
http://www.memeorandum.com/250830/p13#a250830p13

A White House official told CNN that the event is intended as a “show of force of what the new military now looks like” during Donald Trump’s second presidency.
“It’s about getting the horses into the stable and whipping them into shape,” the military official familiar with the planning told CNN.
“And the guys with the stars on their shoulders make for a better audience from an optics standpoint.
This is a showcase for Hegseth to tell them: get on board, or potentially ha…

Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russian missile, drone strikes on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, military says: https://benborges.xyz/2025/11/02/ukrainian-soldiers-killed-in-russian.html

Trump Administration Weighs Having Military Lawyers Work as Immigration Judges (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/us/politics/military-lawyers-immigration-judges.html?unlocked_article_code=1.h08.g0t8.MoxBOvz1MiZn&smid=url-share
http://www.memeorandum.com/250830/p26#a250830p26

Russian forces allegedly preparing major assault toward Siversk in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's military says: https://benborges.xyz/2025/09/01/russian-forces-allegedly-preparing-major.html

Top Trump Officials Are Moving Onto Military Bases (The Atlantic)
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/10/trump-officials-military-housing-stephen-miller/684748/?gift=1ga2TvL-DbuHDQIcYF7oR6IRKlFiVQjpKpNmoQZhUgw&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
http://www.memeorandum.com/251030/p44#a251030p44

The Air Force will offer military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt,
the Trump supporter and Air Force veteran who was fatally shot by police during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol,
according to a statement from military officials issued Thursday.

The Air Force confirmed the decision, which it said came “after reviewing the circumstances of SrA Babbitt’s death,” in a statement to The Washington Post.

Air Force offers military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt
Babbitt, a 35-year-old California native, was the only Capitol rioter killed by police. She served on active duty as a security forces senior airman from 2004 to 2008, then served in both the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard.

Trump administration says members of the military will get paid Friday despite the government shutdown (NBC News)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-administration-military-members-will-get-paid-friday-shutdown-rcna241031
http://www.memeorandum.com/251030/p138#a251030p138

Chicago launches resistance campaign as Trump threatens to send troops (Jake Spring/Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/31/chicago-trump-military-deployment/
http://www.memeorandum.com/250831/p92#a250831p92

Ukraine's military retracts claim that Russian troops entered outskirts of Myrnohrad, Donetsk Oblast: https://benborges.xyz/2025/10/29/ukraines-military-retracts-claim-that.html

Europe considering military buffer zone on Ukrainian territory, Politico reports: https://benborges.xyz/2025/08/29/europe-considering-military-buffer-zone.html

US approves $825 million military sale to Ukraine for ERAM missiles: https://benborges.xyz/2025/08/29/us-approves-million-military-sale.html