frozen snapshot — 2026-08-13 · see today →

What's on J.D. Vance's mind?

read fresh this morning at 6

32%19%14%10%25%

the Novorossiysk tanker request 32% the Usha profile 19% · newTrump's 2028 anointing 14% the war on fraud 10% everything else 25%

Kyiv stops hitting tankers, because Vance asked

The FT reports the VP personally asked Zelensky to spare tankers using Novorossiysk; Ukraine paused the drone campaign, then bombed the naval base anyway.

JD Vance asked Ukraine to halt strikes on tankers using Russian port

Financial Times · 2026-08-12

our translation

he wants to move the war without owning the war. a request is deniable, an order is a policy, and he has no interest in defending a policy on camera.

FT scoop carried by 20+ outletsvery sure · 4 sources

Vanity Fair asks what Usha Vance is thinking

new — Vanity Fair profile plus pickuppretty sure · 3 sources

Lara Trump won't pick him; Shapiro says he won't overperform

Lara Trump non-answer, Shapiro doubtspretty sure · 2 sources

DOJ pivots to program fraud as the House GOP wobbles

DOJ shift plus RSC codification pushpretty sure · 3 sources

thursday, august 13

Say nothing on the record about the Novorossiysk ask(reported)

Skim the Vanity Fair profile; insist you have not(safe bet)

Call Tom Tiffany about the Wisconsin nomination(reported)

Push the fraud numbers before the House waters them down(reported)

rebuilt from the public schedule, pool reports & old habits — the rest is educated guessing

The source

JD Vance asked Ukraine to halt strikes on tankers using Russian port

news.google.com · 2026-08-13

every line on the pad traces to something public — tap to see it