Dispatches from Vilnius

Either LP has a very bad sense of geography or her timing is way off.  She was scheduled to perform in Kaunas next week but her concert was abruptly cancelled when she proudly showed off a hoodie  she received from adoring Russian fans on the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.   To be fair the American singer, who is more famous for the songs she has written for Lady Gaga and Beyonce, has shown her support of Ukraine, but the hoodie literally raised a red flag in a country where any symbol of the former Soviet Union and Russian aggression is banned.  I suppose the hoodie falls outside of the ban but has not been well received in the media.    There is a lot of consternation right now as Ukraine is suffering losses along the front line and worry has grown that Russia will mobilize forces along the Baltic borders.  Putin has been more aggressive lately with faux elections coming up.  He's had his "justice department" put numerous B...

There were actually Super Bowl watch parties at some of the local pubs in Vilnius but the game came on well past my bedtime.  I checked in on my cellphone when my dog first woke me up at 5:30 this morning and saw that the Chiefs had pulled off another nail-biter.  I imagine that had the alpha males all in a rage.  No doubt the conspiracy theories are swirling on X. X has become pretty much like Parler and Truth Social, littered with alt-right conspiracies and now TCN on X.  Tucker Carlson gained almost as much attention as Taylor Swift with his interview of Putin last week.  Excerpts have been shown everywhere including Lithuanian news.  Daina told me to hush when the clips appear as she wants to hear what Putin is saying in Russian.  It's usually quite different from what is translated into English and other languages.   Calling Tucker a " useful idiot " is actually a compliment.  Chris Wallace was closer to the mark by calling him an "...

Not surprisingly the Republican House refuses to bring the Bipartisan Senate bill on border security to the floor, given it is the only card they have to play in November.  "Gym" Jordan said as much in this feisty interview .  Trump has become the de-facto House speaker, controlling the ultra-slim majority with bellicose threats from the campaign trail.  Republican US Representatives know their political fate lies in the little hands of the Donald, who controls the electorate in most of their conservative districts, including the figurehead speaker Mike Johnson from Shreveport, Louisiana.  Republicans firmly believe they can still play this issue in the general election even if their stonewalling is on full display. The border security bill was being done to free up aid packages to Ukraine and Israel, which have been on hold for several months now.  This has frustrated lobbying groups, which included a recent delegation of Eastern European parliamentarians plea...

I have no stake in the Super Bowl but I would kind of like to see San Francisco win.  Not because I'm against Swifties, but I like the Brock Purdy story and how Kyle Shanahan has put the 49ers together.  Reminds me a lot of the Seahawks team Pete Carroll built in the early teens.  Yet, I wouldn't bet against Kansas City after pulling off two big road wins to return to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years. The Chiefs were good before Taylor Swift became the defining feature of the team.  All year long we saw the effect she not only had on the team but the NFL as a whole.  Everyone was talking about Taylor and her relationship with Travis Kelce.  We've literally watched that relationship reach full bloom with Taylor mouthing " I love you " after the Chiefs won the AFC Championship, and Travis giving her a great big kiss.   For the most part the NFL has loved it, as she has brought a spike in viewership and introduced a legion of her fans...