Well, around 20 states right now offer free community college if you’re a resident through first/last dollar programs. Meaning, they will cover the costs after any other financial aid. Other qualifications vary.

Some States schools offer debt relief if you hold a regional residency for X-years (usually 5) after graduation. So for example, if there’s an area of a State that needs more investment (like Upstate NY versus Downstate), these programs are designed to increase GDP and strengthen the talent pool.

Of course, you can get a tuition waiver in like half the states if you’re over 60. 🙄

I’m not saying any of this is ideal by any stretch if the imagination. Just saying there’s some headway here and there in terms of precedent for tuition-free college education.

Indeed. People forget that that satellites exist and it’s not very easy to hide traveling military equipment and troops.

Months before the war, every news outlet was warning about a buildup on the Russian border.

Experts are saying that’s unlikely, though. Why ruin the credibility of the Ministry of Defense if they needed a strong leader? Especially one that’s openly criticized the war to begin with. Pretty bad for morale.

If anything, we’ve learned Putin has a lot less orchestral than expected.

Paramilitary private armies are expensive and unpredictable. And technically illegal under Russian law.

At a time when resources are tight and public trust in government is flaky, it’s makes sense for Putin to consolidate Wagner into the Russian army.

Prigozhin isn’t a brilliant military strategist (to be fair, neither is Shoigu). He’s a businessman who earned $2B through Wagner milking State money. The dissolution of Wagner is the end of that revenue stream, and possibly his own life.

IMO, it seems to me like the mutiny is a last ditch negotiating tactic or emotional outburst as a response to losing his livelihood.

Or… we’ll learn in the coming months and years that there’s a lot more to this story.

It’s very bad for Putin.

Even a lot of warhawks in Moscow started to question what was going when the city was getting c-tier armored personnel trucks around the city, roads dug up, work cancelled and warnings on TV.

For the first time, the war started knocking on the doors of pro-government pensioners who were happy to throw their children’s lives into the meat grinder.

And for a lot of “hands off” Russians, seeing a maniac face zero resistance on his way to Moscow with an army - this answered the old question, “who else, if not Putin?”

Literally anyone.
Doesn’t matter if he’s some unhinged hot dog seller with a criminal rap sheet longer than Putin’s table. Nobody inside Russia stopped him when he downed Russian helicopters. He might’ve even gained a few soldiers on the way. And weirdest of all is that all is forgiven, less than 24 hours after charged with treason.

If anyone watched 1420 on YouTube, you’ll see that the most common answer to any question is, “I’m non-political. I just try to live the best I can and not worry about things I can’t change”.

Which works well for Putin to an extent. Folks are placated. But now it’s exposed his greatest weakness. The people of Russia are so disenfranchised and apathetic, they wont stop a coup.

And hell, Wagner were treated as heroes in Rostov just the other day. Super popular.

Luka is always underestimated as some puppet lackey. And in a way, he plays that part well. But he’s been in power since Yeltsin was around - and survived revolution attempts of his own. He knows how to cling to power - even in the face of incredible opposition. And only he was in a strong enough position to call in Prigozhin when he was least predictable.

My conspiracy brain sees a world where he and Wagner team up to coup Moscow - and using the Union-State, takes over the Kremlin.

My gut feeling is that this is a burn after reading moment.

If there’s anything following politics has taught me, is that fools can be highly effective with a little bit of luck.

And I agree with you. Fool or not, I wouldn’t underestimate the guy.

If not, It’ll rank amongst the biggest blunders in Russian political history, and Prigozhin will be dead in short order.

My money’s on ‘blunder’. However, I don’t see Prigozhin being killed anytime soon. The criminal case against him was closed and he’s moving to Belarus. He’s incredibly popular - especially amongst Russian Ultranationalists, they’d risk martyring him.

Then again, moving to Belarus - he would be freer to criticize Russian Federation from a comfortable distance… and would be a thorn. TBD, I guess.

He’s a Putin puppet

A common misconception.

Lukashenko has been around longer the Yeltsin. Putin, Medvedev, and Putin 2: Electric Boogaloo. I would bet money that he’ll be around after Putin’s demise as well - whenever that will be.

As much of an idiot lackey as he seems - he’s always been to squeeze what he wants out of Russia while squeezing from the West as well. Visa relationships, for example - are a good metric for international diplomacy. Americans can travel visa-free through Minsk Airport for up to 30 days. Think about that. And also - he’s managed to survive his own coup/revolution attempts. And yes, with Russia’s support - but he’s still done it.

The war put him in a precarious balancing act where has simultaneously play nice with Moscow without getting Belarusian troops actually involved in battle. It keeps him in power.

I’m not saying Luka is smart or cunning. But he’s maintained power for 30+ years. He’s experienced in it.

why would Prigozhin cut a deal with him?

Nobody knows.

But I’m speculating Belarus offered him something very special. Maybe Moscow will oust Shoigu, and Belarusian ‘diplomacy’ will be seen as legitimate.

A distracted Moscow would be a premium opportunity for Belarusian activists and freedom fighters to organize another revolution. Last night, Lukashenko flew his family to Turkey. So… we can speculate as to how confident Luka was feeling.

Was the whole thing a psy-op to give Putin an out?

The “out” would’ve been for Putin to recall troops to Moscow to ‘deal with the Wagner problem’. It would’ve given him an out and he would’ve seemed competent to do so.

Afterwards, he can say “its clear need to fix problems in the Russian military before we can help our lost brothers in Ukraine” and call an indefinite ceasefire. Then funnel money into military development indefinitely, like a fascist does.

But that’s not what’s happening… Wagner might just go back to fighting in Ukraine later today.

The news is happening at lightning speed. Nobody knows what’s going on. Absolutely wild times.