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The Evening Blues - 1-1-26

Submitted by joe shikspack on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 4:30pm


eb1pt12

The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Earl King

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features New Orleans blues singer, songwriter and guitarist Earl King. Enjoy!

Earl King - Come On

"Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too."

-- Marcus Aurelius

News and Opinion

The Trillion Dollar War Machine (w/ William D. Hartung) | The Chris Hedges Report

New York Times Reports CIA Attacks on Russian Tankers

Richard D. Wolff & Michael Hudson: The EU Just Crossed the Line — There’s No Coming Back

2025's DISSIDENTS Of The Year

“Empire of AI”: Author Karen Hao on Sam Altman, OpenAI & Hidden Costs of Artificial Intelligence

A Little Night Music

Earl King - Trick Bag

Earl King - Eating & Sleeping

Earl King - I'm Your Best Bet, Baby

Earl King - Mama & Papa

Earl King - Everybody's Carried Away

Earl King - You Make Me Feel Good

Earl King - Seduction

Earl King - You Can Fly High

Earl King - Baby You Can Get Your Gun

Earl King - Street Parade

Earl King - Time For The Sun To Rise

Earl King - Let's Make A Better World

Tags: 
The Evening Blues
Open Thread
Earl King
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Comments

Submitted by joe shikspack on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 4:31pm
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heh, a little less news than usual thanks to last night's festivities. enjoy!

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Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 7:14pm

caption in the image "He is the first East Asian and Muslim Mayor, the youngest in more than a century and the first to be sworn in on a Quran." is enough to make many heads EXPLODE.

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Submitted by joe shikspack on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 7:22pm
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@humphrey

yeah, at this point it's hard to tell much of anything. i expect that there will be lots of obstacles to his success placed by his many detractors and there's always the possibility that he's not really made of the stuff that he appeared to be on the campaign trail (we've certainly seen that often enough from others) but there's a chance and i hope that he turns out to do good things.

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Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 10:27pm

@joe shikspack

The rest of the tweet:

Mamdani pledged to push “expansively and audaciously” to deliver policies like free child care and public transit, arguing that his “big government” plans should be judged by whether it actually improves people’s lives. “We may not always succeed,” he says, “but we will never be accused of lacking the courage to try.”

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Submitted by joe shikspack on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 10:36pm
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@humphrey

the man talks a good game. i sure hope that his walk is equal to his talk.

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Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 7:44pm

of Venezuela.

https://www.euronews.com/2025/12/31/crew-paints-russian-flag-on-iran-lin...

The operation by the US Coast Guard to seize the sanctioned tanker Bella 1 became more complicated after the crew painted a Russian flag, claiming Moscow's protection, during a 10-day Atlantic pursuit. The vessel linked to the Iranian oil trade is reportedly now empty.
Washington's efforts to board an oil tanker in the Atlantic have become complicated after its crew painted a Russian flag on the ship's side, US officials said Tuesday.

The Bella 1 has evaded the Coast Guard for more than 10 days since refusing an interception attempt near Venezuela on 21 December.

The crew applied a Russian tricolour to the hull and now asserts the vessel operates under Russian authority, according to US media reports.

Washington had obtained a court order permitting seizure based on the tanker's history of moving Iranian crude, but the flag complicates enforcement under maritime law.

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Submitted by joe shikspack on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 7:57pm
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@humphrey

i have the feeling that russia and china's registries are going to be growing considerably in the near future.

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Submitted by BORG_US_BORG on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 10:13pm

@humphrey Good for them!

Fuck the U.S. Empire, especially as it is being administered by the completely incompetent, bankrupt, and fraudulent DJT & Co.

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Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 01/01/2026 - 10:39pm

appears to be accurate.

@BORG_US_BORG

The rest of the tweet:

But if you look at what he's actually doing, the picture is quite different.

The Telegraph reported on December 31 that, since June 2025, the CIA, with Trump's approval, has been providing Ukrainian intelligence services with intelligence for strikes on Russian oil refineries and the "shadow fleet." According to US intelligence estimates, such attacks cost Russia approximately $75 million per day, and the BBC notes that 21 of Russia's 38 largest oil refineries, or approximately 42% of its refining capacity, have already been damaged by Ukrainian drone strikes. Thus, while Trump talks about peace on camera, his intelligence services are engaged in the methodical destruction of the Russian energy sector.

In March 2025, Trump announced a pause in arms supplies to Ukraine. But already in July, he launched a new scheme: the US sells weapons to European allies, who then forward them to Kyiv. Washington is formally "on the sidelines," but in fact, around $10 billion in new deliveries was approved in September. This scheme includes Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, artillery munitions, and air-to-air missiles, and American think tanks admit that Ukraine ultimately receives no less, and in some cases even more, than under Biden.

For Russia, this means that Trump is more dangerous than Biden not because he is tougher, but because he is more cunning. Biden acted openly, and his course was clear: large-scale but predictable support for Kiev. Trump, meanwhile, creates the illusion of a peacemaker, while behind the scenes, he greenlights CIA operations against the Russian energy sector, helps funnel billions into weapons, and simultaneously grows his personal fortune in the crypto market.

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Submitted by usefewersyllables on Fri, 01/02/2026 - 11:03am
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@humphrey

New Years with close friends.

But at midnight, we did light a candle, as is my wont...

candle.jpg

And as a side note: this is an actual picture, taken by me. No AI was involved.

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—

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/02/2026 - 10:08am
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@usefewersyllables

good chuckle

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Zionism is a social disease