Matt
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mattaiesi.bsky.social
Matt
@mattaiesi.bsky.social
1.3K followers 630 following 170 posts
Dad, husband, noted round-Earther and mediocre lawyer.

I think the Law of Armed Conflict is good and that Russian propaganda is bad.

All views + opinions are my own.

Posts, likes, RT do not imply USG endorsement.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Matt
ukrainianart.bsky.social
Friends, I ask you for a small favor that will cost you 5 seconds, but will change everything for me and help my Ukrainian handicraft survive💙💛
Like this post, share it, leave any comment. If you like something, place an order.
More of my work here:
www.etsy.com/shop/NadiiaJ...

Thank you!🫂❤️
October 27, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Matt
mollymckew.bsky.social
As I wrote about the “peace” deal, it was a plan for Russia & the US to divide up resources that should go to Ukraine in a sweeping attempt to comprise American security

Today’s WSJ has the goods on how people who only believe in money are the most dangerous people:

www.wsj.com/world/russia...
Dmitriev was pushing a plan for U.S. companies to tap the roughly $300 billion of Russian central bank assets, frozen in Europe, for U.S.-Russian investment projects and a U.S.-led reconstruction of Ukraine. U.S. and Russian companies could join to exploit the vast mineral wealth in the Arctic. There were no limits to what two longtime adversaries could achieve, Dmitriev had argued for months: Their rival space industries, which raced one another during the Cold War, could even pursue a joint mission to Mars with Elon Musk's SpaceX. For the Kremlin, the Miami talks were the culmination of a strategy, hatched before Trump's inauguration, to bypass the traditional U.S. national security apparatus and convince the administration to view Russia not as a military threat but as a land of bountiful opportunity, according to Western security officials. By dangling multibillion-dollar rare-earth and energy deals, Moscow could reshape the economic map of Europe —while driving a wedge between America and its traditional allies.
November 29, 2025 at 12:10 PM
mattaiesi.bsky.social
Couldn’t the United States just *not* inflict economic harm to a democracy that sent troops to fight with us and is now fighting off the world’s cancer that kidnaps, tortures, rapes, and murders Ukrainians for fun?

Slava Ukrainii 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
petersagal.bsky.social Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 14h
“Witkoff encouraged Ukrainian officials to try another tack: What good was a handful of missiles going to accomplish? Instead, he encouraged Ukraine to ask Trump for a 10-year tariff exemption. It would supercharge their economy, he said.”

Gift Link:

www.wsj.com/world/russia...
Make Money Not War: Trump’s Real Plan for Peace in Ukraine
The Kremlin pitched the White House on peace through business. To Europe’s dismay, the president and his envoy are on board.
www.wsj.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted by Matt
rgoodlaw.bsky.social
It is unfathomable that the USG lawyers would sign off on a no-survivors boat strike (no get of jail free card).

There's clear precedent dating back to World War II trial of Germans for that very act, which lawyers know well.

The Peleus World War II War Crimes Trial

www.usni.org/magazines/na...
November 28, 2025 at 7:22 PM
mattaiesi.bsky.social
I have noticed a remarkably high number of brand new UCMJ experts around recently.
November 26, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Reposted by Matt
dirtysexyhistory.bsky.social
I need everybody to read this and understand what’s going on. These are spouses of US citizens in the country legally. They have entry clearance and green cards, they’ve passed background checks and have no criminal records. ICE is taking them anyway.

Gift link:

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Reposted by Matt
theatlantic.com
“The notion that American anti-Semitism is an outside influence operation rather than a homegrown menace is a comforting story. Unfortunately, it’s not true,” @yair-rosenberg.bsky.socialwrites. “Foreign actors may exploit our divisions, but they don’t create them”:
People Are Underestimating America’s Groyper Problem
Rising American anti-Semitism isn’t a foreign influence operation.
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by Matt
bloomberg.com
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
Witkoff Advised Russia on How to Pitch Ukraine Plan to Trump
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump.
bloom.bg
November 25, 2025 at 7:52 PM
mattaiesi.bsky.social
Derek understands men’s clothing and the corrosive ecosystem of American social media and the broken political system it reinforces.

I hope he gets to live in a walkable neighborhood soon.
dieworkwear.bsky.social derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 6d
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.

My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
A Twitter account called Ivanka News tweets an AI image of a young woman wearing Muslim garb. The woman is holding a sign that says "I came here illegally. Should I be deported?" Ivanka News writes: What is your response to this person ?? In the "About this account" tab, it appears the account is based in Nigeria An account called MAGA scope writes: Who, in your view is the great enemy of the United States? Communism, Islam, Democratic Party, or Satan? The account is based in Nigeria. An account called MAGA Nadine writes: You go to work and find this. What would you do? The attached pic is an AI image that shows a microwave. The microwave has a sign that says "For religious reasons, this microwave is now making halal food only." The account is based in Morocco. An account called America First posts an AI image of Tulsi Gabbard. They wrote: How would you rate your trust in Tulsi Gabbard on a scale of 1-10?
November 23, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Reposted by Matt
bgrueskin.bsky.social
This excellent WSJ annotation of the Molotov/Ribbentrop … sorry, Witkoff/Dmitriev … “peace deal” for Ukraine shows how ridiculously vague and utterly unworkable this thing is

Free link

www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Trump’s Peace Plan for Ukraine, Annotated
Here’s a breakdown of some of the key points in the plan and how Ukraine and its European allies might respond.
www.wsj.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:42 PM
mattaiesi.bsky.social
Appeasing war criminals promotes aggression.

Failing to punish war criminals allows them to rewrite their atrocities.

Rewarding war criminals by giving them everything they want incentives them and others to continue kidnapping, sexual assaulting, torturing, looting, and murdering.
November 22, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Reposted by Matt
anneapplebaum.bsky.social
This is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Trump Has a Recipe for War and Corruption, Not Peace
Who would benefit from the White House’s 28-point proposal for Ukraine?
www.theatlantic.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Reposted by Matt
billkristolbulwark.bsky.social
"In recent weeks, junior officers in the military, fearing potential legal exposure, asked military lawyers, judge advocates general, for written sign-off before taking part in strikes. It does not appear that such memos were furnished."
wapo.st/43FXQfO
White House blew past legal concerns in deadly strikes on drug boats
The Trump administration sidestepped skeptical lawyers across national security agencies as it pursued a military campaign against alleged narcotraffickers, officials say.
wapo.st
November 22, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Reposted by Matt
susancolbourn.net
In March, the America in the World Consortium will be hosting a one-day workshop for early-career scholars and practitioners on US nuclear policy in the 21st century.

Paper proposals due December 15.

www.awconsortium.org/about/call-f...
CALL FOR PAPERS: America's Nuclear Crossroads: Deterrence, Diplomacy, and Disarmament in the 21st Century - AWC
The America in the World Consortium invites Ph.D. students, early-career scholars, and early-career policy practitioners to submit paper proposals for a one-day conference on the multifaceted dimensio...
www.awconsortium.org
November 21, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Matt
mjsdc.bsky.social
Judge Ellis derides Greg Bovino as a serial fabulist who brazenly lied on the stand and seemingly considered it funny to perjure himself. cst.brightspotcdn.com/49/34/daecfb...
Turning to Bovino, the Court specifically finds his testimony not credible. Bovino appeared evasive over the three days of his deposition, either providing “cute” responses to Plaintiffs’ counsel’s questions or outright lying. When shown a video of agents hitting Rev. Black with pepper balls, Bovino denied seeing a projectile hit Rev. Black in the head. Doc. 191- 3 at 162:21–165:17; Doc. 22-44 (Ex. 44 at 0:10–12, available at https://spaces.hightail.com/space/ZzXNsei63k). In another video shown to Bovino, he obviously tackles Scott Blackburn, one of Plaintiffs’ declarants. Doc. 191-3 at 172:13–173:7; Doc. 22-45 (Ex. 45 at 0:19–30, available at https://spaces.hightail.com/space/ZzXNsei63k). But instead of admitting to using force against Blackburn, Bovino denied it and instead stated that force was used against him.
November 20, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Matt
bcfinucane.bsky.social
There it is.

And as expected, overruled by OLC’s “Murder Memo.”

www.nbcnews.com/politics/nat...
Top military lawyer raised legal concerns about boat strikes
The lawyer at U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the operations against alleged drug-smuggling boats near Venezuela, disagreed that the strikes are legal and was overruled, according to six sources...
www.nbcnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:21 AM
mattaiesi.bsky.social
Russia is a terrorist state.
united24media.com UNITED24 Media @united24media.com · 9d
🔴 Search and rescue operations are still ongoing in Ternopil at the site of the Russian strike that destroyed an apartment building and killed 26 people, including three children.

93 people were injured, among them 18 children. 22 others remain missing.
November 20, 2025 at 10:20 AM
mattaiesi.bsky.social
Secretary of the Army, the Honorable Dan Driscoll sent this message out to the force.

Outstanding leadership.
November 19, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Matt
mcbridetd.bsky.social
We Immigrated Legally. ICE Detained Us Anyway. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/o...
Opinion | We Came Here Legally. ICE Locked Us Up Anyway.
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Matt
donmoyn.bsky.social
Absolutely no way to read this and not conclude that the Department of Justice has been deeply corrupted. And this is from a time when career lawyers were in place, pushing back against illegality. With firings and resignations, the politicization will just get worse.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
60 Attorneys on the Year of Chaos Inside Trump’s Justice Department (Gift Article)
Sixty former staffers describe an environment of suspicion and intimidation within the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency.
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Reposted by Matt
robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Andrew Johnson claimed to an alleged child molestation victim that Trump's pardon entitled him to multi-million dollar reparations. theintercept.com/2025/11/17/p...
Pardoned Capitol Rioter Tried to Hush Child Sex Victim With Promise of Jan. 6 Reparation Money, Police Say
Pardoned Capitol rioter Andrew Johnson tried to keep a child sex abuse victim quiet with claimed $10 million Jan. 6 reparations, police say.
theintercept.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:21 AM
mattaiesi.bsky.social
This is not something I learned in law school.

Nor in two decades of government practice.

Nor when being admitted into the SCOTUS Bar.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13d
Bessent on tariffs: "This is one of President Trump's signature policies, and traditionally the Supreme Court does not interfere with a president's signature policy."
November 16, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Matt
hoanssolo.bsky.social
A wounded 🇺🇦 soldier’s journey to medical help now often takes as long as it did in the bleakest days of World War I. This isn’t just the result of drones or other modern weapons. Russian drone operators ignore the legal protections meant for medics. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/m...
A Harrowing Escape From the Drone-Infested Hellscape of Ukraine’s Front Lines
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Matt
coloradowolf23.bsky.social
#Fellas The Odesa Sisters have introduced their first patch! You can add it to your collection with a donation of $40 each to @antoninaodesa.bsky.social or her sister Tetyana. Please put your Fella name in the note on your donation.

🅿️🅿️ tkagitina@gmail.com
🅿️🅿️ k_tonya@ukr.net
November 15, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by Matt
wolfiesmom.bsky.social
This is me at 15. I’m a child.
I’m a CHILD.
November 15, 2025 at 2:17 PM