The Morning Sixpack - February 18, 2025
Russia, Russia, Russia, Trump!
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U.S. and Russia Hold Secret Peace Talks on Ukraine—Without Kyiv
In a not-so-surprising diplomatic move, senior U.S. and Russian officials met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for high-stakes negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine—without Kyiv at the table.
The talks follow a recent phone call between President Trump and Vladimir Putin, where both leaders agreed to seek a settlement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the U.S. delegation, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov represented Russia. The absence of Ukraine in these discussions has sparked outrage in Kyiv, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowing not to recognize any agreements made without Ukraine's participation.
Despite skepticism from European allies and Ukraine, the Kremlin is framing the meeting as a step toward peace.
“From now on, we will talk about peace, not war,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared on Russian state television.
However, Lavrov made it clear that Russia will not consider returning annexed Ukrainian territories, citing unverified claims of atrocities against ethnic Russians.
Meanwhile, President Trump has signaled openness to meeting Russian demands (he will give them what they want), including Ukraine abandoning its NATO ambitions and ceding occupied land.
This stance has led analysts to question whether the U.S. is prioritizing strategic peace or simply looking for a political win. (Trump always looks for the situation where he can lie it into a win for his stupid supporters.)
Adding to speculation about closer U.S.-Russia ties, Putin has invited Trump to visit Moscow, potentially joining him in May for Russia’s World War II victory celebrations in Red Square. As the world watches, the big question remains: Is this the beginning of the end of the war, or merely the start of a new geopolitical power play?
Source: MDGN
Delta Jet Flips Upside Down on Toronto Runway—Miraculously, All 80 On Board Survive
A Delta Air Lines jet attempting to land at Toronto’s Pearson Airport flipped onto its roof Monday, leaving passengers stunned but alive.
The aircraft, a Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR arriving from Minneapolis, touched down in snowy, gusty conditions before overturning. Despite the terrifying scene, all 76 passengers and four crew members survived, with only minor injuries reported.
“All of a sudden everything just kind of went sideways, and the next thing I know, I’m upside down still strapped in,” recalled passenger Peter Carlson, a paramedic attending a conference in Toronto.
Canadian authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash, but initial reports suggest that high winds and poor visibility may have contributed. Emergency responders arrived within minutes, swiftly evacuating passengers and dousing a fire near the fuselage. Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken confirmed that 18 passengers were transported to hospitals, though none sustained life-threatening injuries. Aviation experts note that while planes rarely end up inverted after a landing mishap, the absence of the aircraft’s right wing raises critical questions about the crash’s cause.
This incident marks the fourth major North American aviation accident in just three weeks, intensifying concerns about flight safety.
Despite the alarming nature of the crash, Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed relief, stating, “The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected.”
Canadian and U.S. aviation authorities have launched a full investigation to determine what went wrong.
Source: AP News
Cult Leader Arrested in Maryland After Months on the Run
Jack LaSota, the 34-year-old leader of a cultlike group linked to multiple killings, was arrested in Maryland on Sunday, bringing a dramatic end to a years-long investigation.
LaSota, who was previously thought to have died in a boating accident in 2022, was taken into custody in Frostburg, Maryland, on charges of trespassing, firearms violations, and obstructing law enforcement. Authorities have tied LaSota and her followers (read this Note) to a series of violent incidents, including the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol officer in Vermont last month and a 2022 stabbing that left an elderly man blind. “All three were being held at a local jail,” Maryland State Police confirmed in a statement, referring to LaSota and two associates arrested alongside her.
The group’s history is riddled with violence and bizarre twists. Despite an obituary claiming her death, LaSota resurfaced months later and was present at the scene of a brutal stabbing. Prosecutors say the victim of that attack was later murdered to prevent his testimony in an upcoming trial. Another follower, German national Ophelia Bauckholt, was killed in a shootout with Border Patrol agents in Vermont last month—an incident that also claimed the life of agent David Maland. Meanwhile, authorities are still investigating the deaths of Michelle Zajko’s parents, whom LaSota was accused of obstructing justice over. Federal agencies had been tracking the group’s movements, issuing warnings to gun dealers in Vermont about potential weapons purchases linked to them.
The arrest marks a turning point in an ongoing federal probe into LaSota’s network. Authorities believe the group has been operating under an extremist ideology centered on artificial intelligence paranoia and violent retribution. Investigators are now working with the Allegany County state’s attorney’s office to determine the full extent of LaSota’s involvement in the various crimes.
Source: NBC News
Pro-Russian Hackers Strike Italian Government Sites After President’s WWII Comparison
A pro-Russian hacker group has attacked several Italian government websites in response to President Sergio Mattarella’s recent speech, in which he likened Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the Nazi regime’s “wars of conquest.”
The cyberattack, claimed by the group NoName57, disrupted access to the websites of Italy’s defense, interior, and transport ministries, as well as law enforcement agencies. This marks the latest in a series of politically motivated cyber offensives targeting Western nations critical of Moscow.
The attack followed earlier cyber strikes on Italian banks, ports, airports, and local transport agencies, though those incidents caused minimal disruption.
In a February 5 speech in Marseille, France, Mattarella warned that history was repeating itself, stating, “This was the project of the Third Reich in Europe. Today’s Russian aggression against Europe is of this nature.”
The Kremlin responded with outrage, as Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced the remarks.
Despite the cyberattacks and Russia’s condemnation, Mattarella’s office has declined to comment on the situation. Italian authorities have yet to disclose the full extent of the damage, but the incident underscores growing tensions between Italy and Russia in the digital and diplomatic arenas.
Source: MDGN
Trump Administration Fires Thousands of Federal Workers in Controversial Purge
The Trump administration has abruptly fired thousands of federal employees, citing “performance” issues—though many had stellar job reviews or were too new to be formally evaluated.
The sweeping dismissals, which hit nearly every federal agency, were executed over the holiday weekend as officials rushed to meet a Tuesday deadline. Some employees only learned of their terminations through misspelled emails or hastily arranged meetings.
In response, unions have vowed legal challenges, calling the mass firings a violation of federal employment protections.
Many affected workers, including veterans and specialists in critical fields like disaster response and nuclear security, described the process as chaotic and cruel.
Employees and analysts alike warn that the purge could undermine public services.
“I’d understand a strategic reduction in force if needed,” said one fired USDA worker. “But this was a butchering of some of our best. Does the public know this?”
Sadly, many don’t. And even more sadly, many do and don’t care. That’s MAGA!
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provided a template termination notice to agencies, instructing them to cite “performance” as the justification. However, legal experts argue that mass firings based on a blanket claim of poor performance violate federal law.
Meanwhile, high-ranking officials have struggled to explain the decision, with some agencies already reversing terminations due to errors.
The White House has remained largely silent on the scale of the cuts, referring questions to individual agencies.
Elon Musk, who is spearheading efforts to shrink the federal workforce, celebrated the layoffs on social media, calling it a victory against bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, former employees like disabled Army veteran Luke Graziani, who was fired just five weeks before completing his probationary period, are left scrambling.
“This can’t be how my service to my country ends,” Graziani wrote in a plea to the new Veterans Affairs secretary.
Oh, it can. When your Commander in Chief calls military personnel “suckers and losers,” what the fuck do you expect your treatement to be?
As outrage grows, the administration faces mounting lawsuits and scrutiny over its aggressive push to reshape obliterate the federal workforce.
Source: WaPo
Musk’s SpaceX to the Rescue? FAA’s Air Traffic Control Overhaul Gets a Rocket Boost—Right After Mass Layoffs
In a move that’s equal parts bold and baffling, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that Elon Musk’s SpaceX engineers will take a crack at modernizing the country’s outdated air traffic control system.
The timing? Just as the FAA laid off 400 probationary employees, causing major concerns about aviation safety…
SpaceX, a company known for launching and blowing up rockets—not exactly landing planes—will begin their efforts with a visit to the FAA’s command center in Virginia.
Duffy insists the goal is to “envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system.”
Meanwhile, skeptics wonder whether swapping seasoned aviation professionals for rocket scientists is the upgrade we need—or just a high-flying distraction.
Or is it little boys just wanting to play games in real life?
The job cuts come at a particularly bad time, following a deadly midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines jet near Reagan National Airport, which claimed 67 lives.
Critics argue that slashing safety and regulatory personnel isn’t the best way to reassure the flying public.
“Every one of these folks that they’re letting go performs a job that supports aviation safety in some way, shape, or form,” warned Dave Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union.
While the FAA insists that frontline workers like air traffic controllers and radar technicians remain on the job, those left behind may now be forced to take on roles previously handled by the departed employees.
Which will, maybe not so obviously, cause them to burn out and retire earlier than they would have, causing even more attrition. And we know these assholes won’t backfill their positions, so it will put even more strain on fewer people. The death spiral has begun. We are officially circling the drain…
As for SpaceX’s involvement, the FAA has had a rocky relationship with Musk’s company, previously accusing it of safety violations and threatening fines.
Musk, never one to shy away from controversy, proclaimed on X, “The safety of air travel is a nonpartisan matter. SpaceX engineers will help make air travel safer.”
But given that a Government Accountability Office report found that over a third of FAA’s systems are outdated or “unsustainable,” it’s unclear how much of this overhaul is about fixing broken infrastructure—and how much is about handing the reins of aviation safety to a billionaire who’s been known to pick fights with regulators.
Buckle up, folks—remain in your seats until the pilot says it’s okay to roam about the cabin.
Source: Washington Post