The Salty Live

It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Garry Kasparov, the founder of Renew Democracy Initiative and author of The Next Move here on Substack, to The Mayday Network podcast. For the past several decades, Garry has been valiantly fighting for democracy in Europe and around the world. He has stood up to Vladimir Putin with extraordinary courage and has been a staunch advocate of Ukraine. We discussed the future of America’s role in the world, NATO’s role going forward, and what an outcome of the Ukraine war might look lie. I hope you take the time to listen and let me know what you think in the comments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

We were so thrilled to welcome Nicole Walters to Saturdays for Sanity this weekend. In just a short while on Substack, she has managed to dethrone Andrew Tate as the bestselling account on Substack. Once you see our conversation, you will see why. Thank you Lawrence Winnerman, Jai C. Porter🇨🇦, Eric Lullove, Elizabeth, Ms. H, and many others for tuning into this live video with Dana DuBois, Michelle Kinney, Nicole Walters and The Mayday Network. See you next Saturday for another episode of Saturdays for Sanity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Donald Trump is finally firing Kristi Noem as the Secretary of Homeland Security and replacing her with MMA fighter (and senator) MarkWayne Mullen. Turns out that spending hundreds of millions of dollars on promoting yourself instead of Trump and sleeping with your subordinate on a government-funded plane (allegedly) is a bridge too far even for this president. We break it all down here. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments. Salty Politics with Julie Roginsky is a reader-supported publication. To support my work standing up to the Trump regime and fighting for our democracy, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined my live video with Jim Acosta and Gretchen Carlson.Hope you enjoy.Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to so many of you for tuning into Michelle Kinney’s and my conversation with Rep. Tom Malinowski. After watching, I hope you understand why he is so fantastic and why his loss in the NJ-11 primary last week is such a loss for the country. If you like this content, please follow us over at the Mayday Network on YouTube to catch all our podcasts, Daily Dispatches, Saturdays for Sanity at 10 AM on Saturdays and the Mayday Morning Show every weekday morning at 8 AM ET. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, I was so honored to have John Harwood join me for today’s conversation. We covered a lot of topics: the media’s role in Trump’s abuses and the future of an independent press, what it would take to get our country back to a unifying principle and much more.John has spent decades as a print and television reporter, covering both Republican and Democratic administrations with tremendous thoughtfulness and care. I hope you watch our chat and share your thoughts in the comments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Waj and Julie talk ICE, Nazis and Jennings. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

This is our last Pax Americana show of the year, so this is a great time to thank you for all your incredible support for our various Pax projects in 2024. From our Active Measures series on Russian election interference to our Disinformation and How to Counter It seminar to the weekly Thursday show, Olga Lautman and I have been so touched by how quickly this community has grown. It turns out that thousands of you are concerned about what is happening to the United States and how it impacts both this country and the rest of the world. We’re so glad that you have joined us as we have broken it down together. Olga and I will be back on January 8th for the first Pax Americana episode of 2026 and are also working on additional programming and seminars for the first quarter of the year. Stay tuned for an announcement on that. In the meantime, have a wonderful rest of the year and happy holidays to you and to everyone you care about. Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Check out my conversation with Dana DuBois of the Daily Whatever Show, who has an absolutely insane story of online dating in the age of AI.If you’re out in the dating world, you need to watch this. If you aren’t, you need to watch it too, if only to share this information with friends who are. And if you work for Meta, you have some explaining to do. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to many of you for joining Olga Lautman and me for our weekly Pax Americana show yesterday. We had a lot to get through — including the militia that Pete Hegseth is set to unleash on American streets, its parallel to the Soviet Union and the Russian co-opt of Germany’s far-right party. Check it out above and let me know your thoughts in the chat. Show Notes:* According to internal Defense Department documents reviewed by The Washington Post, the newly established “quick reaction force” within the Guard must be fully trained, equipped, and ready for deployment by January 1. The 200-person unit will be drawn from specialized National Guard elements traditionally assigned to disaster and counterterrorism response—now repurposed for civil unrest. A parallel structure, the National Guard Reaction Force, is slated to complete its own riot-control training and become fully operational by April 1.In total, the force will comprise roughly 23,500 troops across all fifty states and three U.S. territories, with most states contributing about 500 personnel.* Lawmakers accuse AfD of spying on German army on behalf of RussiaSenior German officials say the far-right AfD has been systematically using parliamentary inquiries to gather detailed information on Germany’s military, cyber defenses, and critical infrastructure—information they fear is being funneled to Russia. Defense and intelligence leaders warn that the questions mirror Kremlin interests, with some calling the behavior aligned with “tasks assigned by the Kremlin” and raising the possibility of high treason.Source: EuroNews* A new system to identify and take down Russian drones is being deployed to NATO’s eastern flankNATO has begun deploying the Merops drone-hunting system to Poland and Romania after a surge of Russian drone incursions exposed how easily Moscow could penetrate allied airspace. The AI-guided platform, small enough for a pickup truck, lets NATO shoot down cheap Russian drones without scrambling multimillion-dollar jets.Source: Associated Press* Drones spotted over Belgian military base for 3rd night in a row in suspected espionageBelgian authorities reported drones over the Kleine Brogel Air Base—believed to store U.S. nuclear weapons—for three consecutive nights. Defense Minister Theo Francken said the flights were likely espionage linked to Russia, part of a surge in mysterious drone activity targeting NATO facilities across Europe. Police helicopters failed to intercept the drones.Source: Kyiv Independent* Poland will prepare 400,000 volunteers for war by 2027Poland announced a massive national military-readiness program, “wGotowości,” aiming to train 400,000 citizens by 2027 in skills ranging from basic military training to first aid, survival, and cybersecurity. Framed as a response to the most dangerous security environment since WWII, the initiative accompanies record-high defense spending, rapid army expansion, new fortifications along the Russian and Belarusian borders, and efforts to deepen nuclear and U.S. security guarantees.Source: TVP* As U.S. ramps up pressure, Venezuela pleads with Moscow and Beijing for helpAs the U.S. escalates its military presence in the Caribbean, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has quietly appealed to Russia, China, and Iran for urgent military aid—including missiles, radars, aircraft repairs, and long-range drones—according to leaked U.S. documents. Maduro framed U.S. pressure as a shared ideological threat and asked Moscow for financing and upgraded air defenses, while also coordinating Iranian drone shipments and requesting expedited Chinese radar systems.* After Caracas stop, mysterious Russian plane flew to Cuba, NicaraguaA Russian Il-76 cargo plane linked to sanctioned military transport networks made a discreet multi-country tour through Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua before returning to Russia, mirroring a similar circuit in August. The stops, across regimes aligned with Moscow and occurring as U.S.–Venezuela tensions spike, fuel suspicion that Russia is moving military equipment or supplies through Latin America while using circuitous routes to evade detection and sanctions.Source: Defense News* FBI Statement on Bomb Threats to Polling LocationsThe FBI confirmed that multiple polling locations across several states received bomb threats sent from Russian email domains, triggering temporary shutdowns and evacuations at more than two dozen sites — including at least seven counties in New Jersey alone. None of the threats were deemed credible, and the bureau said it is working with state and local authorities.* Putin sent Lavrov into disgrace after the collapse of the summit with TrumpSergey Lavrov has reportedly fallen into disgrace after a failed call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio derailed the planned Putin-Trump summit in Budapest. Lavrov was the only permanent Security Council member absent from a major Kremlin meeting, lost his role as head of Russia’s G20 delegation, and is being quietly sidelined after U.S. sanctions followed the summit collapse and Moscow’s refusal to agree to a Ukraine ceasefire. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, If you want a spooky Halloween story — except this one happens to be true — please watch my conversation about the perils of AI with Dana DuBois and Lawrence Winnerman, who also host the Daily Whatever Show here on Substack. This was truly an eye-opening discussion about AI and how it is set to change what we think, how we think and what we remember. If it sounds like something out of a dystopian book, it isn’t. This is real life — and it’s frightening as hell. Check out our conversation and tell me what you think in the comments. Happy Halloween!JulieIf you like this content and want to support my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Hi everyone!Check out my Live with Matthew Wollin as we discussed his must-read article highlighting the courageous Big Law attorneys who left their perches at white shoe firms to fight for democracy. These people are fighting in the trenches and they deserve to be much more recognized for their efforts. It’s also the last Wednesday of the month, so I have a column out over at The Banter that you can read below. Stay Salty,Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Sometimes it’s good to get out of the New York City bubble — so I decided to head to Bethlehem, PA for the No Kings rally today.Half of Bethlehem is located in Northampton County, which is the swingiest county in the swingiest state in the nation. As goes Northampton, so goes Pennsylvania — in every single presidential election but three since 1920. Let me tell you, this crowd was huge. It was joyful and filled with so much love. There were parents with kids in strollers, elderly people who helped each other walk, college students and middle-aged folks. This was truly a cross-section of America, in a mid-sized American city in a crucial bellwether state, all of whom deeply love their country. I have not felt this energized since Donald Trump took office. Friends, there are more of us than there are of them — and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. Our corporate media is so busy bending the knee and begging for access that it too often transcribes what Trump says without any analysis. And what MAGA wants you to believe is that resistance is futile. It’s not. Today proved it. Here are some photos from my wonderful afternoon in Bethlehem. If the election were held today, no way would the swingiest county in the swingiest state elect Trump. That might be cold comfort almost a year after it voted to put Trump back in the White House but it should make you optimistic about our future. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Olga Lautman and me for our Live to discuss our latest Active Measures chapter: The Kremlin Probes America’s Election System.You can read the entire Active Measures series here. In the meantime, thanks for tuning in. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Olga Lautman and me for our Active Measures Live today, where we discussed Chapter 11 of our Active Measures series: Cambridge Analytica, Facebook and the Kremlin.If you missed yesterday’s deep dive into this installment, you can check it out below. To read the whole series, please visit the Active Measures series here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Frederic Poag, Michelle Kinney and me for our final Taco Tuesday show yesterday. Don’t worry — we’re not going far! Instead of Taco Tuesdays, we are launching Touch Grass Wednesdays. We’ll drop a new episode of Touch Grass at 4 PM ET every Wednesday over on the Mayday Network on YouTube. To subscribe, please click on this link, so you can follow this show and all the other new programming we will launch. The point of Touch Grass is simple: we all spend every minute of every day with low-grade anxiety about what is going on with our country. For an hour each Wednesday, Frederic, Michelle and I invite you to join us as we all “touch grass” together. We will stow the politics and just talk about life. We are all pretty funny when we want to be and this is our opportunity to show it. See you every Wednesday at 4 PM live over at the Mayday Network. If you miss it live, you can always watch it after it drops on our YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you in advance for checking out the Mayday Network. Catch the last Taco Tuesday above and get ready for Touch Grass Wednesdays, starting next week at 4 PM ET.Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to so many of you who joined Olga Lautman and me for our Active Measures Live yesterday. If you missed it, you can catch it above. To read more about our latest chapter on how Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump win, you can visit the Active Measures page here. I am writing over at the Banter today, so you can read my latest there below.Stay Salty!Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Olga Lautman and me for our Active Measures Live series this afternoon. If you missed the latest chapter in our Active Measures series, you can read it below. Watch for a new chapter in your inbox next Monday and join us for a Live to break it down next Tuesday at 12:30 PM ET. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined my Live with Katie Brennan and Michelle Kinney this morning. Katie, who is currently running for General Assembly in NJ, has an interest plan for how states can fight back against media corporations that would prevent free speech. Check it out above and let me know what you think in the comments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you Iammymom, Nicole L, Kevin Paquette, Evelyn Harrison, Lori Paquette, and many others for tuning into my live video with Olga Lautman! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, I don’t mean to intrude on your Saturday but I wanted you to watch this replay of my Live with my good friend Denver Riggleman, because it’s important.Here’s what you need to know about Denver: he is a former Republican member of Congress from Virginia who left the party (or maybe the party left him). He is a former military intelligence officer and served as an advisor to the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He and his wife run a great Bourbon distillery. He spends lots of time helping Ukraine defend itself against its genocidal Russian neighbor. He is also a cybersecurity expert who thinks deeply about how data is manipulated, which is what I wanted to talk to him about. What is happening to our personal information, courtesy of the Trump Administration but also because of advances in AI, is terrifying. With everything else happening these days, we can’t lose sight of the fact that DOGE downloaded reams of our data for a reason. In the coming weeks, Denver and I are going to host a Live dedicated to ways we can all do a better job protecting our personal information. I hope you’ll check out the video above and join us for that chat next month, once it’s scheduled. Stay Salty!Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone for joining Olga Lautman and me earlier today for another great episode of Pax Americana. It was wonderful to have Ken Harbaugh of The Ken Harbaugh Show on the show today. Ken has spent lots of time on the front lines in Ukraine and has a deeply informed perspective that you need to hear.We also addressed the parallels between our accelerated slide towards autocracy here in the United States and how Russia’s nascent democracy collapsed almost as soon as Vladimir Putin took power. The shocking part of this story, of course, is that unlike post-Soviet Russia, the United States has long been a democracy. No more. This week, it became clear that if things don’t change drastically, we will live in an unrecognizable country by the time the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary next July 4. Thanks for watching,Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Hi everyone! Intruding on your Saturday to post our great TACO Tuesday conversation from last week. If you need a break from the relentless news cycle, check out my conversation with Frederic Poag and Michelle Kinney.Stay Salty! Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who tuned into the latest episode of Pax Americana today. The Pax Americana community just keeps growing and Olga Lautman and I are floored by how many of you tune in every Thursday. If you missed today’s episode, please catch it here. Olga Lautman and I are still taking sign ups for our Fall 2025 seminar: a 6-week discussion on information warfare, disinformation, and media manipulation— exclusively for our paid subscribers.Starts: Wednesday, September 17 at 3:00 PM ETMeets: Weekly on Wednesdays (Sept 17–Oct 22)Format: ZoomZoom link will be sent separately on Wednesday at 2:30 PM ET. Cut-off for registration is September 17 at 2:00 PM ET.Slides will be emailed the following day…Registration Link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccVY1gdQvAJLIsN8ahz0oRRl1bsyqDupu1Ixx5SEcWZLZ6kg/viewform?usp=headerIf you have not yet signed up but want to join, please consider becoming a paid subscriber now.Show Notes* Russian drones deep inside PolandNATO warplanes, including Dutch F-35s and Polish F-16s, shot down multiple Russian drones deep inside Poland—the first direct alliance engagement against Russian weapons over member territory. Russia’s attack forced airport closures and damaged homes. It prompted Prime Minister Donald Tusk to invoke NATO Article 4, calling it “the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II.” Source: Wall Street Journal* Poland and Latvia Restrict Airspace Near Russian and Belarusian Borders After Drone IncursionPoland and Latvia barred drones and low-flying aircraft along their borders with Russia and Belarus after NATO jets shot down Russian drones inside Polish territory. The restrictions, which don’t affect commercial flights, are meant to give NATO and local defenses room to intercept further incursions. Source: The Moscow Times* Poland closes all border crossings with Belarus: about 1,700 cars in queuesThe State Border Committee of Belarus reported that it had received an official notification from the Polish Border Service about the closure of all remaining active checkpoints on the Belarusian-Polish border.Source: The Insider (Russian language)* Belarus frees 52 prisoners after Trump appeal, US eases some sanctions on MinskBelarus released 52 prisoners, including journalist Ihar Losik and 14 foreign nationals, after a personal appeal from Donald Trump. In return, Washington eased sanctions on Belarus’ national airline Belavia, even as opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned the gesture covered only a fraction of political prisoners and signaled no real change in Lukashenko’s rule.Source: Reuters* Belarusian spy network uncovered by Eurojust operation, Moldovan ex-intel chief arrestedA Eurojust-backed operation involving Czechia, Romania, Hungary, and Moldova exposed a Belarusian KGB spy ring spanning multiple countries. Among those arrested was Alexandru Bălan, Moldova’s former deputy intelligence chief, accused of passing state secrets and meeting Belarusian officers in Budapest. Source: Euroactiv* Russian spy drones over GermanyRussian surveillance drones are conducting reconnaissance flights over eastern Germany to track arms shipments to Ukraine, with over 530 drone sightings recorded in the first three months of this year alone, according to Western intelligence services. Source: Euronews* Russia plans to produce nearly 2,500 high-precision missiles in 2025Russia is expected to manufacture close to 2,500 high-precision missiles in 2025, spanning cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic classes, Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, said in an interview with Ukrinform. Source: Kyiv Independent* 123,000 flights disrupted by Russian signals – threatening flight safetyIn four months, nearly 123,000 flights have been disrupted by Russian signals that interfere with GPS and other satellite systems. This is according to a report from Sweden and five neighboring countries that SVT has reviewed. Source: TVP World and SVT (In Swedish)* Julie and my latest chapter from our new seriesActive Measures: The Kremlin's Troll FactoryStay Salty. And particularly this week, stay safe.Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Olga Lautman and me yesterday for our weekly chat about Russia’s election interference in the 2016 election. Hours after the show, which you can stream above, Russian drones invaded Polish airspace in what is a massive provocation of NATO. Poland and other NATO allies scrambled to shoot down the Russian drones but make no mistake — this is the first time that Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO member nation. The timing is not a coincidence. Yesterday, Polish President Karol Nawrocki held a joint press conference in Helsinki with Finish President Alexander Stubb. "We do not trust Vladimir Putin's good intentions," Nawrocki said. He added, "We believe that Vladimir Putin is ready to also invade other countries.”The buildup to this moment has been happening for some time.Last week, Putin attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin and a military parade in Beijing. where he held bilateral meetings with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose country is a member of NATO. In Beijing, Kim joined Xi and Putin in a symbolic walk of solidarity during a military parade. Also there were Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the leaders of several former Central Asian and Caucasian Soviet republics, as well as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, another Putin ally. While this was happening, the United States was abdicating its decades-long commitment to European security. The Trump administration signaled last week that it is ending several longstanding U.S. security assistance programs in Europe — most notably the Baltic Security Initiative, which has supported Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in countering Russian aggression. In short, Trump is phasing out security assistance for countries bordering Russia, including those Baltic states. This should come as no surprise. Almost as soon as Trump was back in the White House, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told European leaders that the United States was no longer “primarily focused” on European security and that Ukraine was largely Europe’s problem. At the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, Vice President JD Vance claimed that the biggest danger to Europe was not Russia or China, but rather “the threat from within”— including issues like migration, policies to fight disinformation, multiculturalism, what he termed “globalism,” gay rights and other matters anathema to the Trump Administration. So it stands to reason that just as the Trump Administration was making good on its promise to cut Europe off, Putin chose this week to test NATO’s resolve.Poland has now invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which allows it to bring an issue before the North Atlantic Council. In nearly eighty years, Article 4 has only been invoked seven times, most recently when Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. Polish Prime Minsiter Donald Tusk declared that Poland was “at its closest point to open conflict since World War II.” When Poles speak this way, pay attention. It was Hitler’s secret pact with Joseph Stalin to carve up Poland that led to Germany’s invasion of western Poland on September 1, 1939. On September 3, Great Britain and France declared war on the Third Reich, leading to the start of World War II. In accordance with the secret Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east on September 17, claiming to protect Ukrainians and Belarusians.Some things do not change. The only outstanding question — the outstanding question — is what Trump intends to do. This should raise serious concerns about what exactly he and Putin discussed in their secret, ten minute one-on-one chat at their Alaska summit last month. What guarantees did Trump give Putin? What, in return, did Putin promise Trump?On Friday, Russia and Belarus will hold a major military drill called “Zapad,” the Russian word for “West.” And what lies west of Russia? All of Europe, on edge as he pokes and prods its defensive ever more. Don’t doubt for a moment that this “drill” is an excuse for Russia to move more of its military hardware to its western flank. This is a deeply concerning moment. ReminderOlga and I are starting our Fall 2025 seminar: a 6-week discussion on information warfare, disinformation, and media manipulation— exclusively for paid subscribers.If you’ve followed our work on Russia, Ukraine, authoritarian influence, disinformation, and the shifting U.S. media landscape, this seminar is the next step. We’ll look at how the Kremlin’s Cold War playbook evolved into one of the most important tools of modern hybrid warfare — and how those same strategies have been used here in the United States over the past decade to manipulate media, co-opt influencers, deepen polarization, and increasingly fuel real-world violence, including through MAGA-aligned and far-right disinformation networks in the U.S.Starts: Wednesday, September 17 at 3:00 PM ETMeets: Weekly on Wednesdays (Sept 17–Oct 22)Format: Zoom meetA Zoom link will be sent separately on Wednesday, September 17 at 2:30 PM ET. Cut-off for registration is September 17 at 2:00 PM ET.Slides will be emailed the following day.Registration Link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccVY1gdQvAJLIsN8ahz0oRRl1bsyqDupu1Ixx5SEcWZLZ6kg/viewform?usp=headerWe’ll meet live on Zoom every Wednesday at 3:00 PM ET, and every session will include:* A focused breakdown of disinformation and information warfare* Global and U.S. examples — including Kremlin influence, MAGA media ecosystems, and GOP-aligned narrative laundering* Resistance tools, resources, and discussionIf you are not yet a paid subscriber and would like to join, please sign up here. If you can’t make it live, we will be sending out slides of our talks the morning after the seminar to everyone who signs up. The Substack Live above is based on this week’s chapter of Active Measures. If you missed it, here it is again, as well as some additional extras that did not make it into Monday’s newsletter.Kremlin’s Troll Factory ExtrasThe OperationsInternet Research Agency (IRA) — The original St. Petersburg troll farm. Founded in 2013, disguised as a marketing firm, it was a Russian intelligence operation financed through Prigozhin’s Concord business. At its height, hundreds of staff churned out memes, fake personas, disinformation, and hoaxes that reached 126 million Americans on Facebook during the 2016 election.Social Design Agency (SDA) — The IRA’s heir. Directed by Ilya Gambashidze under Sergei Kiriyenko, SDA absorbed ex-IRA staff after 2018 and ramped up the operations with AI tools, deepfakes, and fake local news sites. A disinfo center, testing new methods across Europe and the U.S.Storm-1516 — One of the networks seeding fake U.S. news sites during the 2024 election.Key CharactersYevgeny Prigozhin — “Putin’s Chef,” the face of both Wagner and IRA.Vladislav Surkov — Kremlin puppet-master behind early web brigades.Vyacheslav Volodin — Helped impose controls on Russia’s internet.Mira Terada — Runs the fake human rights “Russian FBI” (FBR) operation.Sergei Kiriyenko — Kremlin deputy chief of staff; he currently oversees SDA, the next-gen troll factory.Ilya Gambashidze — Now steering the Social Design Agency, IRA’s heir.John Dougan — Former Florida cop and U.S. defector living in Moscow. His DC Weekly and other cloned “local news” sites became vehicles for Russian disinformation, fusing Kremlin narratives into the U.S. media stream.Timeline Snapshots2013: Internet Research Agency (IRA) founded.2014: Crimea annexation; trolls flood comment sections.2014 July: MH17 disinfo blitz (40,000 tweets/day).2015: Hoax “Columbian Chemicals” plant explosion.2016: Blacktivist & Heart of Texas pages hit hundreds of thousands.2018: Mueller indictments.2024: AI-driven disinfo campaigns with Storm-1516 during the 2024 election.The Troll FactoryQuotas: 100 comments/posts per troll per shift.Shifts: 12 hours, two days on / two days off.Training: Watch House of Cards, learn slang, memorize NFL trivia.Formats: Memes, hoax news, fake protests, sock-puppets.Budget: $1.25M/month by 2014.Russia’s Notable OperationsColumbian Chemicals, 2014: Fake explosion at a Louisiana chemical plant. Dozens of fake accounts + doctored video.Ebola Panic, 2014: Fake reports of outbreaks across the U.S. to stoke fear.MH17, 2014: 40,000 tweets in 24 hours pushing four contradictory lies.Fake Police Shootings: Exaggerated or invented claims designed to inflame race relations.Top Fake Persona Accounts@TEN_GOP — Posed as the Tennessee Republican Party, racked up 100,000 followers (including real politicians).Jenna Abrams — Fake “All-American girl” blogger, quoted by major U.S. outlets and even politicians.SouthLoneStar — Masqueraded as a patriotic Texan, pumped out anti-immigrant and pro-Trump memes.Blacktivist — Pretended to be part of Black Lives Matter, drew 350,000+ followers, bigger than real BLM pages.Heart of Texas — Called for secession, pushed anti-Muslim hate, gained 250,000+ followers.Being Patriotic / Secured Borders — Targeted conservatives with pro-Trump, anti-immigrant propaganda.United Muslims of America / LGBT United / Black Matters US — Progressive masks designed to splinter left-leaning coalitions and suppress turnout.Top Disinfo Topics of 2016Clinton’s Emails — Trolls amplified WikiLeaks dumps and pushed conspiracy theories about “deleted” emails.Clinton’s Health — Memes and fake stories claimed she was gravely ill or unfit for office.Immigration & the Border — Fear-mongering posts about migrants, Muslims, and “open borders.”Race & Policing — Fake BLM pages vs. Blue Lives Matter memes to deepen divides.Religion — Anti-Muslim propaganda, “Christian values under attack” themes.Traditional Values & Anti-LBGTQ+ — Posts portraying LGBTQ+ rights as a Western assault on morality, while pushing “family values” rhetoric “aligned” with Russia.Election Integrity — Claims of “rigged voting machines” and ballot fraud, seeding distrust before Election Day.Third-Party Boosts — Troll accounts urging votes for Jill Stein or Bernie Sanders to siphon support from Clinton.Repetitive MemesHillary in prison stripes.Hillary’s “illness” memes to question her fitness.Anti-immigration “keep out migrants” graphics.Fake BLM protest graphics designed to inflame divisions.“Heart of Texas” memes railing against Muslims and immigrants.Endless recycled slogans like “Crooked Hillary” and “Lock Her Up,” amplified until they felt organic.A Few Samples of False Flag Protests (All Staged by the IRA)Houston, 2016: Anti-Muslim rally vs. “United Muslims of America” counter-rally — both sides summoned by trolls.Dallas, 2016: “Blue Lives Matter” vs. “Black Lives Matter” dueling protests (same time and location).By The Numbers126 million Americans reached on Facebook.50,000 bots on Twitter.2 million+ tweets about the 2016 election.$100,000 spent on U.S. ads that helped spark street protests.IRA vs. WagnerWagner: Mercenaries; operations in Ukraine, the Balkans, Latin America, Syria, and Africa.IRA: Trolls, memes, fake personas, fake pages, fake news sites, operations online.Both were built to give the Kremlin deniability while carrying out Russia’s hybrid war. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

This is a very serious geopolitical moment. Thank you to everyone who joined Olga Lautman and me for an emergency Live to discuss a brewing crisis that cable news and most legacy media ignored tonight. If you missed it live, you can watch the recording above. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

A belated release of this week’s Taco Tuesday with Frederic Poag and Michelle Kinney! We had such a great time talking about life — with a little politics sprinkled in. This week we discussed the existential question of our times: if your significant other turned into a Trumper after marriage (like RFK Jr. did), would you stick with the relationship (like Cheryl Hines has) or would you bail?This was a tougher one for some of us than for others. Let me know what you think in the comments. If you need a little break from the grind of, well, everything, check it out and join us next Tuesday for another episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined my Live yesterday with the incredible Andy Ostroy. If you don’t already follow his podcast, The Backroom with Andy Ostroy, wherever else you get your podcasts, you should. He is whip smart and always has interesting guests. Andy had some great insights into the Trump-RFK Jr. relationship and why he thinks our Secretary of Health and Human Services may not necessarily be long for this cabinet. Check that out — and so much more — above. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who tuned into this week’s Active Measures Substack Live with Olga Lautman!This week, Olga and I discussed this week’s chapter of Active Measures, which delves into the convergence of the Russian and American neo-Nazi movements and the political rise of Donald Trump. If you missed our newsletter on this topic on Monday, you can catch up on it below. Thanks for supporting our Active Measures series, which describes how the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 Election. If you missed any part of it, you can catch up here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks to so many of you for tuning into this week’s episode of Pax Americana with Olga Lautman and me this morning. A few housekeeping items: * Join us for this week’s episode of Active Measures at 2:30 PM ET. As I mentioned on the show today, I was out of town earlier this week, which is why we are doing this week’s episode today. We will be back next Tuesday at our regularly scheduled time of 12:30 PM ET.* If you have not yet signed up for our Disinformation and How to Counter It Seminar, which launches on September 17 at 3:00 PM ET, please check out the post below and consider joining us. This seminar is open to paid subscribers only of either this Substack or Olga’s (or both). We hope to see you there. Here are some of the stories we covered today:The New York Times: 2 Weeks After Trump Talks, Russia Bombards Kyiv, Killing at Least 18The Washington Post: Trump, Gabbard fired top CIA Russia expert days after Alaska summitThe Wall Street Journal: Tulsi Gabbard Blindsided CIA Over Revoking Clearance of Undercover OfficerThe Wall Street Journal: Exxon Held Secret Talks With Rosneft About Going Back to Russia This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Olga Lautman and me on Thursday to discuss the debacle that was the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. If you missed it, please check it out above. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to so many of you who joined Olga Lautman and me today for our ongoing conversations today about Russian interference in the 2016 election. If you missed it live, you can watch it here or on YouTube. For more information, be sure to read and follow the entire Active Measures series and check out yesterday’s newsletter on how the Kremlin infiltrated the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency. Olga very helpfully curated a timeline and a list of people involved in the Russian plot to infiltrate American evangelical circles, which you can see below. Before you get to that, a request: the mainstream media refuses to cover this story and has largely ignored Trump’s narrative that Russian election interference was a “hoax.” If you have followed our series, you know that this is a lie — and that the Kremlin is engaged in ongoing efforts to interfere in our elections again. Please read our series and send it to as many people as you know, so that we fight back against Trump’s lies and against a complacent legacy media that has become a transcription service for this administration. Timeline of Russia’s Evangelical Operations2008–2009: Patriarch Kirill enthroned; ROC begins intensified outreach.2010–2011: Malofeev opens St. Basil Foundation; Komov becomes WCF representative2012: Franklin Graham praises Russia’s Christian values.2013: Russia passes “gay propaganda” law; UN “traditional values” resolution.2014: Malofeev sanctioned for funding Russian operations; WCF Moscow rebranded.2015: Tsargrad TV launched; Torshin and Butina attend Prayer Breakfast.2015: Graham meets Putin and Patriarch Kirill; Evangelical media echo Kremlin propaganda.U.S. Evangelical Leaders and Organizations Engaged with RussiaFranklin Graham — Met with Putin and Patriarch Kirill in Moscow (2015) and praised Putin’s defense of Christian values.Brian Brown (NOM/WCF) — Championed Russia’s “family values” laws and partnered with Alexey Komov; elected WCF president in 2016.Larry Jacobs (WCF) — Publicly defended Moscow’s role in hosting and promoting WCF conferences.Allan Carlson (WCF co-founder) — Co-created WCF with Russian allies, promoting U.S.–Russia cooperation on traditional values.National Prayer Breakfast — Attended by Russian Orthodox and WCF-linked delegations facilitated by Torshin and Butina.Russian Media Targeting U.S. Evangelicals / MAGART (Russia Today) / RT America – Pushed narratives of U.S. decline, moral corruption, and deep state conspiracies.Sputnik – Amplified divisive cultural content and “Christian persecution” framing to conservative audiences.Tsargrad TV – Orthodox-nationalist, Fox-style media exporting Kremlin “values” discourse.Russia Insider (Charles Bausman) — English-language propaganda for far-right audiences, casting Putin as a defender of Christianity and echoing themes that appealed to evangelicals.Katehon (Malofeev think tank) – Blended geopolitics, Orthodoxy, anti-liberalism for an international audience.Geopolitika.ru (Dugin) – Ideological hub for Eurasianist narratives, Orthodox values, anti-West propaganda.Political & Intelligence-Linked OperativesAlexander Torshin — Russian Central Bank official and longtime senator; cultivated NRA and National Prayer Breakfast ties; sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018.Maria Butina — Protégé of Torshin; infiltrated the NRA and National Prayer Breakfast; pled guilty in 2018 to acting as an unregistered foreign agent.Elena Mizulina — Duma member; author of the 2013 “gay propaganda” law, centerpiece of Kremlin’s “traditional values” arsenal.Edward Lozansky — Expat organizer in Washington; ran “Russia House” and the World Russia Forum; created access points for Kremlin officials, GOP lawmakers, and U.S. faith leaders.Vladimir Yakunin – Ex–Russian Railways chief; sanctioned 2014; backed Orthodox initiatives, far-right outreach, and ran the “Dialogue of Civilizations” forum. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Olga Lautman and me for our latest episode of Pax Americana. I’ll have more on this tomorrow but if you want a curtain raiser on Putin’s summit/humiliation of Trump, please check out our conversation above. Catch us next week at our usual time: Thursdays at 11 AM ET for another episode of Pax Americana. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you Richard Hogan, MD, PhD(2), DBA, Mnera, john king (MY HUMBLE OPINION), Kevin Paquette, Jay Corvan, and many others for tuning into my live video with Frederic Poag! We had so much fun talking Trump’s newest TACO move (this time on tariffs) and even more fun talking about how men and women approach dating and relationships. Most of all, it’s great to take an hour out of the crazy news cycle just to talk about life. I hope you’ll check it out. Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined my Live with Olga Lautman today about the third installment in our Active Measures series, which details how Russia infiltrated the 2016 presidential election to help elect Donald Trump. If you missed yesterday’s newsletter about this topic, you can read it below. And if you want to check out the whole series, you can check it out here.Join us again next Tuesday at 12:30 PM ET for our newest episode of Active Measures, where we will explore how the Kremlin infiltrated the evangelical movement to sway the 2016 election. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Frederic Poag and me for Taco Tuesday a few days ago. I was remiss in posting this earlier but Frederic and I had a wonderful discussion about Trump’s victim complex (with a few mentions of Plato’s Republic and the Allegory of the Cave, because that’s how we roll). Have a great weekend. Stay Salty!Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to so many of you for tuning into my live video with Olga Lautman today. The show notes are below. In the meantime, join us on Tuesday at 12:30 PM ET for another episode of our new series, Active Measures. We’ll see you back here next Thursday at 11 AM ET for Pax Americana. Show Notes (courtesy of Olga) * Trump-Putin MeetTrump’s shady real estate associate Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow yesterday. The Kremlin announced a potential Trump-Putin summit as early as next week, with Trump floating the idea of including Zelenskyy. Earlier today, the White House pushed back, saying no meeting will happen. Regardless, Trump continues buying time for Russia as it escalates its genocidal war. Source: CNN and ABC News for today’s update* Russia Launched Record 6,129 Drones Against Ukraine in JulyRussia launched a record 6,129 Shahed-type drones on Ukraine in July, surpassing June’s 5,337. Daily swarms now hit up to 728 drones, devastating civilian areas and causing mass casualties—an enormous escalation from 423 drones in July 2024. Ukrainian officials warn the true count may be higher as Russia ramps up drone production. Source: Kyiv Independent* Lithuania Requests NATO Help Boost Its Air Defenses After Second Drone Crosses BorderLithuania has formally asked NATO to deploy additional air defense resources, including experimental systems, after a Russian drone carrying explosives entered from Belarus and crashed in a military training zone. This marks the second such incident in July, with officials warning these incursions are likely to continue. Source: Politico* Russia Moves Jamming Systems Closer to NATO Border, Estonia SaysEstonia revealed that Russia has deployed additional electronic warfare systems near the Estonian border, specifically in the area around Kingisepp—just 12 miles from NATO territory. These jamming systems, used in Ukraine to disrupt drones and GPS signals, are now interfering with civilian aviation and maritime navigation in the Baltic region. Source:Bloomberg* Russia's sending kidnapped Ukrainian children to front line’Ukraine’s government says Russia is conscripting abducted Ukrainian children into its military. An estimated 35,000 children have been stolen since 2014 (though Russia claims over 700,000), and some are being forced to fight against Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s chief of staff confirmed that the bodies of former stolen children have been found on the battlefield, and Yale researchers are investigating what they describe as a growing "conscription-to-combat pipeline." Source: The Times* Russia’s Hybrid War on Moldovan DemocracyWith Moldova’s September 28 parliamentary elections approaching, Russia is already executing a full-scale hybrid interference operation to destabilize the pro-European government of President Maia Sandu. Tactics include mass vote buying via an app, AI-generated fake news, paid protests, and cyberattacks—while pro-Kremlin oligarchs like Ilan Shor and Vladimir Plahotniuc orchestrate efforts from abroad. Source: Reuters* Durham’s Debunking of the ‘Clinton Plan’ Emails, ExplainedTrump allies pushed a declassified claim that Hillary Clinton orchestrated the Russia probe to smear Trump. But Special Counsel John Durham concluded the so-called “Clinton Plan” emails were likely Russian fabrications and created by Russian intelligence—assembled using info from real hacked emails to appear authentic and mislead U.S. intelligence. Source: New York Times* NY Times reported John Durham found the “Clinton Plan” emails were likely created by Russian spies. Right-wing media are running with them as legitimate.John Durham’s Russia probe revealed that so-called “Clinton Plan” emails were likely fabricated by Russian intelligence. But right-wing media are pushing the documents as “proof” that Clinton plotted to frame Trump, calling it a “soft coup” and demanding prosecutions. Source: Media Matters* Active Measures Chapter One* Active Measures Chapter Two This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined my Live with Olga Lautman today to discuss the second installment of our Active Measures series about how Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump become president.If you missed the companion newsletter, you can check it out here. And if you missed the first newsletter and accompanying Live, you can check them both out below. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Michelle Kinney and me tonight for our weekly confab. We are hosting this weekly show at 7:30 PM every Monday as a way to take a break from the news and just talk about… stuff.Tonight, as we were about to go on air, news broke about the horrific shooting in Midtown Manhattan. As I send this newsletter out, we do not know much about the shooter, his motivation or the identities of the people he murdered. We do know that a member of the NYPD was among those killed. Michelle and I are both New York City girls and live a mile or two from the Park Avenue building where this all took place. Despite our best efforts, sometimes the news won’t allow us to take a break, even for an hour.Stay safe, everybody. If you missed the show, check it out above. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to so many of you for joining my Live today with Olga Lautman! Yesterday, Olga and I launched a weekly series called Active Measures: How Russia Attacked the 2016 U.S. Elections in order to stop Trump’s lies about Russian election interference dead in its tracks. If you missed last night’s post, you can read it below. Starting next week, we will be dropping a new newsletter every Monday. Then, please join us on Substack Live at 12:30 PM ET every Tuesday to discuss it. If you miss the show live, you can catch the replay here on Substack, on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.This information is crucial to get out, so please subscribe and share this series with everyone you know. That way, when your crazy uncle starts in on the “Russia hoax” at Thanksgiving or Kremlin-influenced MAGA trolls come after you on X, you will be armed with all the facts to fight back.We are so grateful for your support and look forward to breaking down the Kremlin’s election interference with you. Stay Salty!Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to so many of you for tuning into my live video with Frederic Poag yesterday.For those who missed it, we had so much fun talking Trump’s TACO tariff policies, football, tequila and restaurant recommendations. (In case you missed it, Celeste on W. 84th and Amsterdam is the unlikely hidden gem Italian restaurant in New York City. They don’t take credit cards or reservations, so show up early with a wad of cash. It’s worth it.)Take a look above and let me know your thoughts.In the meantime, it’s also the third Wednesday of the month, so check out my column in Ben Cohen’s The Banter later today.Stay Salty,Julie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined my Friday night Live with Frederic Poag! We had such a great time discussing how the rest of us should approach Trump voters in this time of national crisis. Should we write them off? Keep trying to bring them back to reality? Is that even possible?Watch the show and let me know what you think in the comments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you Marcus Flowers, GW B, Paola Palazzo, Kimberly Briedis, Jay Lapidus, and many others for tuning into my live video with Olga Lautman! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to so many of you who joined this week’s episode of Pax Americana this week. We got through a lot in an hour, including America’s descent into fascism, the ongoing drama in the Putin-Trump relationship and so much more. If you missed it, please watch it above. And please join us next Thursday at 11 AM ET for another episode. Show notes, courtesy of Olga Lautman, are below. * Fascism is Here* Trump-Putin: During a Cabinet meeting, Trump criticized Putin’s rhetoric as “a lot of b******t,” dismissed his “very nice” but “meaningless” tone, and announced his intent to supply Ukraine with defensive weapons. This is after Trump ended Congressionally approved weapons shipments, already staged in Poland, last week. Actions speak louder than words. Source: Guardian* State propaganda ordered to scold Trump after harsh remarks against Putin: After Trump called Putin’s words “b******t” and “pledged” more arms for Ukraine, Russian state media was instructed to lash out, accusing him of “Bidenization” and mocking his intelligence. Kremlin propagandists and bots flooded channels with insults. Source: Moscow Times Russian Edition* Russian military launches a record-breaking air assault on Ukraine: Russia launched two massive aerial assaults on Ukraine this week—first with 728 drones and 13 missiles on Tuesday, then with 400 drones and 18 missiles on Thursday—and marked a shift in tactics with multi-directional, high-altitude strikes. Kyiv called for tougher sanctions as Zelenskyy warned of Russia’s escalating terror. Source: New York Times and CNN* Säpo Reports Increase in Hybrid Threat Incidents in Sweden: Sweden’s Security Service (Säpo) reports a sharp increase in hybrid threat incidents, including sabotage of telecom masts, GPS disruptions, and cable breaks. While officials urge caution in blaming foreign actors, military intelligence warns Russia is growing bolder in exploiting instability and spreading propaganda to sow public distrust. Source: Sweden Herald* Dutch and Norwegian F-35s to patrol Eastern European skies to deter threats from Russia: The Netherlands will deploy F-35 fighter jets to Poland from September 1 to December 1 as part of a NATO mission to protect the delivery of military aid to Ukraine. Operating alongside Norwegian F-35s, the jets will enforce NATO airspace under the alliance’s Quick Reaction Alert system, ready to intercept Russian aircraft. Source: The Insider* Russia striking NATO while China invades Taiwan 'plausible' scenario, experts say: NATO officials are warning that a two-front war—with China invading Taiwan and Russia striking NATO—is now “plausible.” A statement from Secretary General Mark Rutte reveals concern that Beijing may coordinate with Moscow to divide and distract Western forces. Source: Kyiv Independent This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Olga Lautman and me for this week’s episode of Pax Americana. Today was not just a typical Thursday. It was a day that will live in infamy because of the capitulation by the House of Representatives to Trump’s budget bill. This affects us both here at home and it affects are allies and enemies abroad. The votes of fewer than five hundred men and women in Washington shook the world this afternoon. To our fellow Americans — thank you for continuing to believe that our county can one day return to being that shining city on the hill. To our friends across the world — thank you for believing, as we do, that what happened this week does not represent the soul of the United States.We are deeply grateful to you, especially during these dark times. We will see you next Thursday at 11 AM ET for another episode of Pax Americana. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who joined Michelle Kinney and me for our inaugural show about stuff. You know, the stuff that women go through as they get older, whether it’s dealing with kids, aging parents, menopause, the sandwich generation, or even venting about the stupid Bezos wedding that sent us over the edge. So many of you took time out of your Sunday night to chat with us, for which we are deeply grateful. We can’t wait to do it again. If you missed the show, please catch it here, on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks to everyone who tuned into my live conversation with Frederic Poag last night about the future of the Democratic Party. We didn’t just address the problems — we also talked about solutions.I’ve been asked why I focus so much on the Democrats, rather than exclusively pointing out the failures of the Trump Administration. The answer is simple: you can’t beat somebody with nobody. And right now, Democratic leaders are not showing up to beat Trump at every turn. Until they do, Democrats will not be competitive longterm and we will not be able to restore our constitutional republic and inoculate it from any future assaults by whichever authoritarian the GOP throws our way next.Please check out our chat and let me know your thoughts in the comments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Every single day, Donald Trump provides Democrats with opposition fodder — yet our leaders in Washington are largely not meeting the moment. The Democratic Party is in a deep hole, largely of its own making. The leadership is sclerotic, listening to the same consultants who got us into this mess. We have forgotten how to communicate, too terrified of putting the wrong foot forward and appearing politically incorrect. Regular people (not “everyday Americans,” as too many candidates annoying call them) are looking at us and don’t recognize the party that once stood for the working guy. Who better to discuss all this with than Chuck Rocha, one of the people toiling in the fields to bring our party back to sanity? Check out our conversation about what ails the Democratic Party and how to fix it. Then, heck out his new show, The Rocha Revolution, every Wednesday.Salty Politics with Julie Roginsky is unafraid. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to so many of you for joining us for this week’s episode of Pax Americana. I’ve never been happier to be home and back at the mic. If you are a paid subscriber, please join Olga Lautman and me for a Pax Americana Town Hall on Thursday, June 26 at 7 PM. It was so wonderful to meet so many of you virtually at our last town hall and to have a chance to chat and get to know you. Look out for a sign-up in the next day. And if you’re not a paid subscriber yet and want to join, now’s your chance! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you to the wonderful Michelle Kinney for joining me today to talk about my crazy four continent journey to get my family out of Israel and back to NYC this weekend. Please watch and let me know your thoughts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltypolitics.substack.com/subscribe