Ed Franks
@edfranks.bsky.social
PhD: Econolytics/RAND
MS: Biochemistry/MIT
BS: Chemistry/UCSD
MA: Theology/Fuller Seminary
⬆︎Reagan/Hayek/Hume/Locke/Z⬆︎
⬆︎TULIP/Calvin/Cromwell/Owen⬆︎
⬇︎Putin/Marx/China/Quds/Hamas⬇︎
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MS: Biochemistry/MIT
BS: Chemistry/UCSD
MA: Theology/Fuller Seminary
⬆︎Reagan/Hayek/Hume/Locke/Z⬆︎
⬆︎TULIP/Calvin/Cromwell/Owen⬆︎
⬇︎Putin/Marx/China/Quds/Hamas⬇︎
____________________________________
Pinned
Ed Franks
@edfranks.bsky.social
· Sep 8
How the Ukraine-Russia War Is Transforming the Tank
They’ve been a mainstay in battle since the early 20th century. But in just three years of war in Ukraine, tanks have evolved.
www.nytimes.com
This an absolutely brilliant article (IMHO) by NYT on the evolution of tank warfare on both sides of the LOC in the Ukraine War - the epitome of asymmetrical warfare actions & reactions! "Tanks Were Just Tanks, Until Drones Made Them Change" www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Best news in this war since the late summer counterattack in 2022 recaptured vast swathes of eastern Ukraine from the Russians! Praise Geez-zuzz-zuzz! There IS a God! kyivindependent.com/russian-oil-...
Russian oil prices lowest since full-scale war began, Bloomberg reports
The prices dropped to just over $40 per barrel on average for Russian crude shipped from the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the Kozmino port in the Far East, Bloomberg reported.
kyivindependent.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Best news in this war since the late summer counterattack in 2022 recaptured vast swathes of eastern Ukraine from the Russians! Praise Geez-zuzz-zuzz! There IS a God! kyivindependent.com/russian-oil-...
Hegseth is a liar. He said he'd release the videos, but now he claims, 2wks later, that it's a "long-standing policy of the DOD to NOT release top secret intel," which of course begs the question, why didn't he realize, 2wks ago, that it would be classified as top secret?! Liar, liar, pants on fire!
December 17, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Hegseth is a liar. He said he'd release the videos, but now he claims, 2wks later, that it's a "long-standing policy of the DOD to NOT release top secret intel," which of course begs the question, why didn't he realize, 2wks ago, that it would be classified as top secret?! Liar, liar, pants on fire!
Just curious, but has anyone asked whether the fact that the suspect was wearing a mask should've been a "red Flag" of a sort, i.e., is everyone wearing surgical masks these days at Brown's campus? www.cnn.com/us/live-news...
FBI releases photos of suspect as search for Brown University shooter enters fourth day - live updates | CNN
Police are pursuing a new lead based on photos and videos of an individual taken around hours before the deadly mass shooting at Brown University, authorities said today. Follow for live updates
www.cnn.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Just curious, but has anyone asked whether the fact that the suspect was wearing a mask should've been a "red Flag" of a sort, i.e., is everyone wearing surgical masks these days at Brown's campus? www.cnn.com/us/live-news...
I seriously doubt that Putin's brilliant strategy is to open up another front in a war that he is only barely winning after 4 yrs and 100s of 1000s of dead Russian troops?! That would be almost as brilliant as Hitler's decision to invade Russia in 1941?! Let's hope that Putin DOES invade the EU!?
never believe russian lies about Ukraine.
December 17, 2025 at 1:48 AM
I seriously doubt that Putin's brilliant strategy is to open up another front in a war that he is only barely winning after 4 yrs and 100s of 1000s of dead Russian troops?! That would be almost as brilliant as Hitler's decision to invade Russia in 1941?! Let's hope that Putin DOES invade the EU!?
Simply brilliant! Slava Ukrayini! www.wsj.com/world/ukrain...
Ukraine Claims Naval First With Underwater Drone Strike on Russian Submarine
The Security Service of Ukraine said that it had “effectively disabled” a Russian submarine in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
www.wsj.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Simply brilliant! Slava Ukrayini! www.wsj.com/world/ukrain...
Reposted by Ed Franks
Please take 7 and a half minutes and watch this.
Seth Remembers Rob Reiner
YouTube video by Late Night with Seth Meyers
youtu.be
December 16, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Please take 7 and a half minutes and watch this.
WTF is wrong w/Tramp?! Anyone who could claim such a twisted assessment of the Reiner tragedy is clearly losing his mind, and not so slowly anymore, but as surely as surely can be, methinks!? May God bless the victims of Tramp's psychosis.
December 16, 2025 at 6:47 AM
WTF is wrong w/Tramp?! Anyone who could claim such a twisted assessment of the Reiner tragedy is clearly losing his mind, and not so slowly anymore, but as surely as surely can be, methinks!? May God bless the victims of Tramp's psychosis.
Looks kinda like Baghdad on the first night of the Gulf War in 1991 when CNN's team happened to have a bird's eye view (from their hotel room) of anti-aircraft fire filling the skies in every direction as Saddam's regime desperately tried to defend against our stealth planes which they couldn't see!
Breaking: 🇺🇦✈️🇷🇺Russia’s Black Sea coastline is under drone attack, with air-defense systems engaging targets in multiple directions.
December 16, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Looks kinda like Baghdad on the first night of the Gulf War in 1991 when CNN's team happened to have a bird's eye view (from their hotel room) of anti-aircraft fire filling the skies in every direction as Saddam's regime desperately tried to defend against our stealth planes which they couldn't see!
I can't believe that there isn't more outrage at what an effing clown car of imbeciles we NOW seem to have running the FBI?! How many times is Kash gonna arrest the WRONG person, which in this case quite possibly made the dragnet loosen just enough to give the real perpetrator get away "SCOT-FREE!?"
December 16, 2025 at 5:09 AM
I can't believe that there isn't more outrage at what an effing clown car of imbeciles we NOW seem to have running the FBI?! How many times is Kash gonna arrest the WRONG person, which in this case quite possibly made the dragnet loosen just enough to give the real perpetrator get away "SCOT-FREE!?"
God damn Fico; God bless Heger & the Slovak people who suppored Heger's decision to send entire MIG-29 fleet to Ukraine in early 2023, long before anyone else made such a major move! kyivindependent.com/giving-ukrai...
Giving Ukraine fighter jets was not a crime, Slovak prosecutor says
Slovakia's transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in 2023 was not a crime, the Bratislava prosecutor's office said Nov. 10, according to POLITICO.
kyivindependent.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:55 PM
God damn Fico; God bless Heger & the Slovak people who suppored Heger's decision to send entire MIG-29 fleet to Ukraine in early 2023, long before anyone else made such a major move! kyivindependent.com/giving-ukrai...
This is glorious news for Ukraine, esp b/c it doesn't require them to put any Ukrainians troops or civilians at combat risk! Just sit tight while Russian logistics dry up completely along w/Russia's ability to project its forces deeper into Ukraine!?
kyivindependent.com/russias-dece...
kyivindependent.com/russias-dece...
Russia’s December oil and gas revenue set to drop to lowest level since 2020, Reuters reports
Russia’s oil and gas revenue in December is expected to be nearly half compared to the previous year, down to about 410 billion rubles ($5.17 billion), Reuters reported on Dec. 12.
kyivindependent.com
December 15, 2025 at 12:16 AM
This is glorious news for Ukraine, esp b/c it doesn't require them to put any Ukrainians troops or civilians at combat risk! Just sit tight while Russian logistics dry up completely along w/Russia's ability to project its forces deeper into Ukraine!?
kyivindependent.com/russias-dece...
kyivindependent.com/russias-dece...
No matter the war's outcome, this will become a great movie someday, as it is an incredible testament to the adage that "necessity is the mother of invention!" One of the more brilliant Special Forces schemes ever?! www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Inside Ukraine’s Daring ‘Operation Spiderweb’ Attack on Russia
Kyiv’s plan to smuggle more than 100 drones into enemy territory required meticulous planning, high-tech gadgets—and luck.
www.wsj.com
December 14, 2025 at 6:45 AM
No matter the war's outcome, this will become a great movie someday, as it is an incredible testament to the adage that "necessity is the mother of invention!" One of the more brilliant Special Forces schemes ever?! www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Sorry for the date error below. I should've said "summer of 2022," not 2023. Time flies. The counterattack of 2023 was a fiasco, for a variety of reasons, esp b/c it didn't surprise anyone, let alone the Russians, whereas the attack of 2022 surprised EVERYONE, even many in the Ukraine military! : )
Great news that UKR still has a hold on Kupiansk, a crucial hot spot that's been disputed since the amazing UKR counterattack in the late summer of 2023! This spot must be held to ensure the viability of UKR's defense of Kharkiv & Donetsk oblasts! Slava Ukrayini! kyivindependent.com/zelenskyy-vi...
‘Reality speaks for itself’ — From war-torn Kupiansk, Zelensky praises troops after reports of successful Ukrainian counterattack
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised troops in the Kupiansk direction and said battlefield gains strengthen Ukraine’s diplomatic position, as the National Guard’s 2nd Khartiia Corps reported a counte...
kyivindependent.com
December 13, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Sorry for the date error below. I should've said "summer of 2022," not 2023. Time flies. The counterattack of 2023 was a fiasco, for a variety of reasons, esp b/c it didn't surprise anyone, let alone the Russians, whereas the attack of 2022 surprised EVERYONE, even many in the Ukraine military! : )
There is a God! : )
🚨Russian Propaganda Cracks, Ukraine Pushes Back: Zelenskyy In Kupyansk! #Ukraine #Russia #War @u24.gov.ua @united24media.com @annafromukraine.bsky.social @dropkickmurphys.com @meidastouch.com youtube.com/watch?v=z2xC...
🚨Propaganda Cracks, Ukraine Pushes Back: Zelenskyy in Kupyansk
YouTube video by Boston Brian
youtube.com
December 13, 2025 at 10:11 PM
There is a God! : )
Sadly ISIS hasn't been neutralized?! Tramp need look no farther for blame than himself! Recall his own drawdown on the Syrian frontier in Oct 2019! Russians quickly moved into our northern bases & Tramp threw Kurds under the Turk bus! & NOW Tramp's gonna get ISIS? Idiot. www.cnn.com/2025/12/13/p...
Trump pledges retaliation after two US soldiers, one civilian interpreter killed in Syria | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump said Saturday that there will be “very serious retaliation” after two US soldiers and one civilian interpreter were killed in an ambush in Syria on Saturday.
www.cnn.com
December 13, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Sadly ISIS hasn't been neutralized?! Tramp need look no farther for blame than himself! Recall his own drawdown on the Syrian frontier in Oct 2019! Russians quickly moved into our northern bases & Tramp threw Kurds under the Turk bus! & NOW Tramp's gonna get ISIS? Idiot. www.cnn.com/2025/12/13/p...
In the words (almost) of the immortal Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), "The [recent] report of my death [Ukraine's collapsing military status] was an exaggeration.” The world's media needs to stop listening to Putin & Tramp, mainly b/c they both always lie; they don't often lie, they ALWAYS lie!
NEW: Ukrainian forces recently liberated territory including part of the city of Kupyansk in a tactical counterattack in the Kupyansk direction. 🧵(1/6)
Read the full update: isw.pub/UkrWar121225
Read the full update: isw.pub/UkrWar121225
December 13, 2025 at 2:22 AM
In the words (almost) of the immortal Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), "The [recent] report of my death [Ukraine's collapsing military status] was an exaggeration.” The world's media needs to stop listening to Putin & Tramp, mainly b/c they both always lie; they don't often lie, they ALWAYS lie!
This headline kinda misses the point: Ukraine REMAINS the world's deadliest conflict likely BECAUSE they are Tramp-brokered peace talks!? Tramp flips his position 180º from one wk to the next, so that no one, least of all UKR, should rely on ANYTHING Tramp says! kyivindependent.com/ukraine-worl...
Ukraine world’s deadliest conflict in 2025 despite US-brokered peace talks, analysis finds
Russia’s war in Ukraine was the world’s deadliest conflict in 2025, according to a new report that tracks conflicts globally, despite U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the nearly four-yea...
kyivindependent.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:06 AM
This headline kinda misses the point: Ukraine REMAINS the world's deadliest conflict likely BECAUSE they are Tramp-brokered peace talks!? Tramp flips his position 180º from one wk to the next, so that no one, least of all UKR, should rely on ANYTHING Tramp says! kyivindependent.com/ukraine-worl...
It's amazing how effective UKR has been with its own LR drone program, keeping Russia constantly on the back foot. Just imagine how well they'd be doing if the US was not a de facto ally of Russia. W/allies like Tramp, Pres Z can only rely on the EU! kyivindependent.com/ukraine-stri...
Ukraine strikes Russian oil facilities in Caspian Sea again, SBU source says
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) carried out a second drone strike this week on Russia's Vladimir Filanovsky oil production platform in the Caspian Sea, also hitting the nearby Korchagin platform, an ...
kyivindependent.com
December 13, 2025 at 1:54 AM
It's amazing how effective UKR has been with its own LR drone program, keeping Russia constantly on the back foot. Just imagine how well they'd be doing if the US was not a de facto ally of Russia. W/allies like Tramp, Pres Z can only rely on the EU! kyivindependent.com/ukraine-stri...
Great news that UKR still has a hold on Kupiansk, a crucial hot spot that's been disputed since the amazing UKR counterattack in the late summer of 2023! This spot must be held to ensure the viability of UKR's defense of Kharkiv & Donetsk oblasts! Slava Ukrayini! kyivindependent.com/zelenskyy-vi...
‘Reality speaks for itself’ — From war-torn Kupiansk, Zelensky praises troops after reports of successful Ukrainian counterattack
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised troops in the Kupiansk direction and said battlefield gains strengthen Ukraine’s diplomatic position, as the National Guard’s 2nd Khartiia Corps reported a counte...
kyivindependent.com
December 13, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Great news that UKR still has a hold on Kupiansk, a crucial hot spot that's been disputed since the amazing UKR counterattack in the late summer of 2023! This spot must be held to ensure the viability of UKR's defense of Kharkiv & Donetsk oblasts! Slava Ukrayini! kyivindependent.com/zelenskyy-vi...
Given Tramp's DEMENTEDLY shambolic war vs Vnz, the LAST thing that any MAGA ever wanted, & given that, as Commander-in-Chief, he DOES have de facto authority to do whatever he wants to do w/the military, it seems a certainty it's designed ONLY to divert from Epstein!? www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/...
Trump hints again at land strikes in Venezuela | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
US President Donald Trump has again threatened to launch ground operations in Venezuela. His administration is also imposing new sanctions targeting vessels and shipping companies linked to its oil se...
www3.nhk.or.jp
December 13, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Given Tramp's DEMENTEDLY shambolic war vs Vnz, the LAST thing that any MAGA ever wanted, & given that, as Commander-in-Chief, he DOES have de facto authority to do whatever he wants to do w/the military, it seems a certainty it's designed ONLY to divert from Epstein!? www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/...
Not likely that Europe's ability to help Ukraine is at the mercy of Orban &/or Tramp?! The only way Tweedledee & Tweedledum can prevent the EU from helping Ukraine is if the EU is already planning to bail on Ukraine!? kyivindependent.com/eu-ukraine-u...
Europe's drive to bolster Ukraine faces two obstacles — Trump and Orban
As the U.S. ramps up pressure on Ukraine to accept a swift and potentially painful peace deal with Moscow, European allies seek to reassure Kyiv it is not alone.
For the EU, Ukraine is not merely a s...
kyivindependent.com
December 12, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Not likely that Europe's ability to help Ukraine is at the mercy of Orban &/or Tramp?! The only way Tweedledee & Tweedledum can prevent the EU from helping Ukraine is if the EU is already planning to bail on Ukraine!? kyivindependent.com/eu-ukraine-u...
Tough! You'll get very little sympathy from Ukraine or any of Ukraine's allies. As many have said & will likely continue to say, "Payback is a bitch, eh?!" kyivindependent.com/drone-report...
Drone reportedly hits apartment building in Russia's Tver, officials say 7 injured
A drone explosion damaged the lower floors of a residential building in the Russian city of Tver on Dec. 12, injuring at least seven people, according to regional officials and local Telegram channels...
kyivindependent.com
December 12, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Tough! You'll get very little sympathy from Ukraine or any of Ukraine's allies. As many have said & will likely continue to say, "Payback is a bitch, eh?!" kyivindependent.com/drone-report...
Marvelous news, that 70% of oil/gas tanks at this major Russian facility have been destroyed as of the Dec 5 attack! Brilliant! kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-dr...
Ukrainian drones destroy 70% of fuel tanks at Russia's Temryuk Seaport, General Staff says
The Dec. 5 attack sparked a large fire at the Temryuk Seaport, a facility that handles various types of cargo, including liquefied natural gas used to supply the Russian military.
kyivindependent.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:24 AM
Marvelous news, that 70% of oil/gas tanks at this major Russian facility have been destroyed as of the Dec 5 attack! Brilliant! kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-dr...
Brilliant news, that mass drone attack on Moscow has shut down all 4 of its major regional airports! Bravo! kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-dr...
Ukraine targets Moscow with mass drone attack, mayor claims
At least 31 drones have been shot down over the Russian capital, according to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. All four airports in the region have suspended operations.
kyivindependent.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:22 AM
Brilliant news, that mass drone attack on Moscow has shut down all 4 of its major regional airports! Bravo! kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-dr...
God bless these men, both in their 40s, doing jobs that'd normally be done by men ½ their age, enduring near death due to lack of food & water, at constant risk from FPVs, who held out for 165 days. Seems they'r not reading MSM reports of UKR's imminent collapse?! kyivindependent.com/how-2-soldie...
165 days trapped on Ukraine's front line
Just last year, the battlefield in Ukraine was most dangerous when the shooting started. Now it is often the moments before and after, when soldiers change positions under the eyes of prowling drones....
kyivindependent.com
December 10, 2025 at 11:55 PM
God bless these men, both in their 40s, doing jobs that'd normally be done by men ½ their age, enduring near death due to lack of food & water, at constant risk from FPVs, who held out for 165 days. Seems they'r not reading MSM reports of UKR's imminent collapse?! kyivindependent.com/how-2-soldie...