NEW: An updated US intelligence assessment on Ukraine is ominous: US believes Russia is accelerating preparations for an invasion that could result in 50k civilian deaths, 5 million refugees and the fall of Kyiv in 2 days, sources tell @washingtonpost 1/https://t.co/m5zGm5Z4jN

— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) February 6, 2022

🚨NEW, THREAD: In closed door briefings in the House and Senate last week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley told lawmakers Kiev could fall within 72 hours, at a cost of 4,000 Russian troop deaths and 15,000 Ukrainian troop deaths, multiple congressional sources say.

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) February 5, 2022

Russia sent a pair of long-range nuclear-capable bombers on patrol over its ally Belarus amid spiraling tensions over Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said the two bombers practiced interacting with the Belarusian air force and air defense. https://t.co/vakED5zql3

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 6, 2022

Ukraine Gave Up Nuclear Weapons 30 Years Ago. Today There Are Regrets. – The New York Times https://t.co/hFXrY1i4fm

— John Sipher (@john_sipher) February 5, 2022

Russian forces at 70% of level needed for full Ukraine invasion, U.S. officials say https://t.co/91uX2tJw3J pic.twitter.com/BLAdzEeGPg

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2022

If Donald Trump had won "Russians would already be in Kyiv," John Bolton says https://t.co/PEd5tcsXyt

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 4, 2022

If the Magnitsky Act is used properly and intensively against Putin’s oligarch trustees it could prevent a war from happening in Ukraine. https://t.co/zgXiAUoVpa

— Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) February 5, 2022

Wetlands and radioactive soil: How Ukraine’s geography could influence a Russian invasion https://t.co/zWsPNT1jJG

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 5, 2022

When the Biden administration was asked for evidence to back up national security claims, it simply demurred: You’ll have to trust us. They would not reveal how they knew that Russia was plotting a false flag operation as a pretext to invade Ukraine. https://t.co/1ycjx4C4ap

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 5, 2022

'I'll just close my eyes and pretend they don't exist": Russian president when Ukraine's team shows up at the Olympics opening ceremony pic.twitter.com/QQlSxoc8bO

— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) February 4, 2022

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has tested positive for the coronavirus, he announced on Twitter on Saturday, two days after a visit to Ukraine during which he met with that country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. https://t.co/OK1Rg7ZqtK

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 5, 2022

So Bloomberg has the headline "Russia Invades Ukraine" ready, just in case. pic.twitter.com/h3zPNhhLwp

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) February 5, 2022

“We view this as the most serious threat to the continuation of American democracy that any of us has ever seen in our lifetimes," Rep. Raskin says. https://t.co/NphqMJ7oVd

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 5, 2022

The House committee investigating the assault on the Capitol and what led to it is employing the aggressive tactics prosecutors use on mobsters and terrorists. https://t.co/UpuxgQFQQc

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 5, 2022

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has obtained White House records showing then-Pres. Trump spoke with GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio that morning, a source confirmed to @ABC News Friday. https://t.co/XgSqFha3Zy

— ABC News (@ABC) February 5, 2022

Overnight, while lots of people were busy whinging on Twitter, it was revealed that DOJ subpoenaed the call records of the lawyer for Bannon and Giuliani, to get records on how Trump is trying to cover up Jan 6. https://t.co/2uKJKE0WhH https://t.co/VnnvLR4TpS

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) February 5, 2022

That basically is what he was doing — he was hoping for any sign of 'antifa'/left activity to call then call in Nat Guard (with the help of Pentagon allies, Flynn bro, etc) and shut down the Capitol and stop Biden's certification

— Will Bunch (@Will_Bunch) February 5, 2022

.@MaddowBlog: We know former President Trump wanted to "change the outcome" and "overturn the election" because he's now admitted it in writing. https://t.co/LfLDLAKlS5

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 5, 2022

#BREAKING: Jan. 6 defendant asks to subpoena Trump as trial witness https://t.co/KinD2SDDBV pic.twitter.com/C0wctGR4FR

— The Hill (@thehill) February 5, 2022

Trump tore up briefings and schedules, articles and letters, memos both sensitive and mundane.He ripped paper into quarters with two big, clean strokes—or occasionally more vigorously, into smaller scraps. And he did it all in violation of the Records Act. https://t.co/jkoiun6dkI

— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) February 5, 2022

NEW: To develop evidence to push DOJ on Trump, J6C operates like feds targeting terrorists/mobsters. J6C using 6 lowlevel aides to dish on stonewalling Trump bosses. J6C feeding subpoenaed phone records into link analysis,a FBI tool to map terror networks https://t.co/oWa98KJPKI pic.twitter.com/UdxV8vKkUS

— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) February 5, 2022

.@matthewjdowd: "Donald Trump was basically a reflection of who the Republican Party is as opposed to a cause of it." #TheReidOut #reiders pic.twitter.com/1Hz1XLjgPG

— The ReidOut (@thereidout) February 5, 2022

What we are witnessing is a national emergency. My thoughts on the RNC resolution that characterizes the events of January 6th as “legitimate political discourse.” https://t.co/9DD3VTK1Qc

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) February 5, 2022

I remember hating it when media outlets covered the Westboro Baptist Church like it was an actual church with actual influence. It was fringe of fringe of fringe.

But Greg Locke? He's Westboro with 2.2 million Facebook followers. https://t.co/3fykkKAwn8

— David French (@DavidAFrench) February 5, 2022

They report Boris Johnson has been “exploring opportunities” in US where he could make $250k per speech after leaving office.

Three different sources say Carrie Johnson has grown weary of pressure, and has privately voiced view it might be preferable for him to throw in towel.

— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) February 5, 2022

Now listen, Americans, a year from now, if someone calling himself "disgraced former prime minister Boris Johnson" knocks on your door with a speech and saying he wants $250,000 for it, you just tell him to fuck off, ok? https://t.co/UkUiSjVHy8

— Dan Davies (@dsquareddigest) February 5, 2022

when your most vocal defender is Nadine Dorries, it’s time to go https://t.co/OfvcvNKUeE

— Henry Mance (@henrymance) February 5, 2022

I love that noone has taken this down from Dorries's Wiki page. pic.twitter.com/fKaAzDLSxM

— beebsymca.bsky.social (@BeebsyMcA) February 5, 2022

Going out on a limb here but I wonder if it might have been a mistake to put Dorries in the cabinet pic.twitter.com/8P2teo7Ttd

— Jonathan Lis (@jonlis1) February 5, 2022

The Nadine Dorries interview wasn't a car crash.
It was more like a coach full of orphans smashing into a petrol station & then the petrol station erupting in a fireball causing one of the pumps to skyrocket in the air & plummet back down completely obliterating a petting zoo

— joe heenan (@joeheenan) February 5, 2022

Boris Johnson wrote that the most important thing in politics is to assemble "a disciplined and deluded collection of stooges” around himself.

He said the stooges want "so much to believe" their relationship is special, that they shut out the truth. https://t.co/A1dIxza2LA pic.twitter.com/7T5f4RNch7

— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) February 5, 2022

Chief of staff to the leader of a major country is a definitional 7 day a week job. It is simply not compatible with constituency service or duties and votes in parliament. To do it properly and seriously he would have to resign as an MP. What is Boris Johnson thinking? https://t.co/MQRL2m6UYU

— Rory Stewart (@RoryStewartUK) February 5, 2022

What’s really deplorable is that NONE of this…neither Sunak or Javid’s mild rebukes of Johnson, nor the defense of Johnson by his allies …is motivated by anything other than self interest. None of it. It’s only ever about them, not us. https://t.co/N74tKNDHSj

— alexandra hall hall 🇺🇦🌻 (@alexhallhall) February 5, 2022

What does it take. For @BorisJohnson it is over. The public are angry at the flagrant disregard for the rules the PM put in place. Johnson must listen to the expression of public revulsion and go. https://t.co/oAb02AduJO

— Ian Blackford 🇺🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@Ianblackford_MP) February 5, 2022

To blame for instability in N.Ireland

Irish Government
EU
Judges
The BBC
Academics
Theresa May
Nationalist Activists
Boris Johnson
Civil Service
Businesses
Michael D Higgins

Not to blame

The DUP who championed the hardest #brexit and collapsed the powersharing Executive https://t.co/6kHVc9RIWc

— Deirdre Heenan (@deirdreheenan) February 5, 2022

Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff says “It should now be clear to the DUP that supporting Brexit was a huge strategic error for them & unionism. It’s reduced support for the Union & it’s led to a border in the Irish Sea.” https://t.co/SXgjpFzkEC

— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) February 4, 2022

Just as Brexit was intended to strengthen the Union but weakened it, so an order by DUP minister Edwin Poots to stop checks could see them increase: The potential logic flowing from what I’m told is part of ex-Attorney General Larkin’s advice to Poots…https://t.co/R5exE2IszF

— Sam McBride (@SJAMcBride) February 5, 2022

In tomorrow’s Sunday Independent, my report on Stormont crisis:
◾️DUP decided to quit hours after Donaldson met loyalists
◾️Givan ‘wonders if he could have done more to stay as FM’
◾️Why Givan was respected more by Sinn Fein than Foster
◾️How Coveney has stopped phoning Donaldson pic.twitter.com/HlUXSMjmtB

— Rodney Edwards (@rodneyedwards) February 5, 2022

We have a pandemic.
Hospital waiting lists are worsening.
People can't heat their homes.
Brexit is adding costs for businesses and consumers.
Donaldson collapsed the Assembly because of a rose bush. pic.twitter.com/LyqDhyAH55

— alt – DUP (@dup_online) February 3, 2022