On Sunday, Representative Michael R. Turner (R-OH), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said it is “absolutely true” that Republican members of Congress are parroting Russian propaganda. “We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor,” he said on CNN’s
Where are our journalists on the obvious continuing ties with the Republican Party and Russian agents? In Ultra, Rachel Maddow detailed how over 20 U.S. congressmen in the early 1940s being paid by Nazi agents to promote Nazi propaganda were never brought to justice. It's still hard to wrap one's head around that. And here we are again, with today's journalists in 2024 still resistant to place every headline on Trump and the GOP in the context of Russian influence. Last month Lev Parnas spoke plainly that Trump working again with Paul Manafort means a direct connection with the Kremlin. And once again, media may do the honest reporting AFTER the election, if at all.
Dr. Richardson makes a case in point with her skepticism about Trump claiming to raise 50 million dollars at a fundraiser, conveniently twice the number of Pres. Biden's recent record fundraiser. Yet the screaming headline in the NY Times was: "Trump Fundraiser Rakes in more than 50.5 million..." instead of justified skepticism "Without Verification Trump Team Claims Raising Double the Amount of Biden Fundraiser." Given the sheer number of lies, you would think every Trump headline would have a perfunctory caveat. And that's something media should be placing front and center, don't you all think?
Two things: "With him all roads lead to Putin" ~ Nancy Pelosi, June 2020. But maybe it should be with 'them". They are all Russian stooges.Also, about a month ago, psychiatrist John Gartner did a vid about the "smoking gun" evidence of DJT's dementia. Several more mental heath experts have concurred.
The last words of HCR's Letter today, touched me to the quick; they reminded me of the words I read and the pictures that I saw yesterday.
'And yet Trump loyalists continue to block aid to Ukraine, threatening the existence of the rules-based international order that has helped to prevent war since World War II. Last week, even Trump’s former secretary of state Mike Pompeo warned Speaker Johnson against' “abandoning our Allies at this time of great need, when they are staring down enemies of the free world.” (Letter)
'Two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the hourly artillery duels, airstrikes and pitched fighting in the country’s east and south have turned the more than 600-mile front line into a scarred frontier. Parts of it may be uninhabitable for years, if not decades. Villages and towns are destroyed. Fields are mined. Roads are barely recognizable.'
'But clinging to the wreckage of their homes, and hometowns, are residents who refuse to leave. Buoyed by volunteers who deliver aid and their own battle-hardened survival instincts, they carry on with their lives in an unending test of endurance. The reasons they stay are many: to care for disabled family members, to look after pets or livestock or, plainly, their love of home.' (NYT, April 8, 2024) See gifted link below.
Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine? Just give Putin what he wants and it’ll be all over! Wow, how on earth has nobody ever thought of that before? Seriously though, isn’t it obvious to anyone that the man is a total train wreck, wheels coming off with every new day?
Thank you Professor Richardson. A few years ago I carefully reviewed the redacted Mueller Report and produced a book titled 'Orange is the New Orange' -a coffee table book with key quotes from the Mueller Report that laid bare the stunning relationships between Trump, his close associates and Putin. Flynn undermining sanctions against Russia before Trump was inaugurated, then lying about it. Manafort sharing election data with his Kremlin handlers. Back channel meetings with nefarious characters like Erik Prince (of Prince/DeVos family fame).
In parallel there was news about the NRA, Russian money, and Russian foreign agent Maria Butina. Of course gun ownership and gun violence prevention being another 'hot-button' issue dividing Americans faster than you can say Fox 'News'.
MAGA and GOP incompetents like M-T Greene, Jim Jordan, James Comer, and Lauren Boebert (among all the others who now infect Federal, State, and Local government) are useful idiots for Putin. Whether they recognize it or not they have all become a small army of useful idiots to Putin -and Trump is Putin's prized pawn.
So this has been part of a long-term strategy by Putin -and as 'Comrade/Rep. Mike Johnson' follows orders from Putin/Trump -instead of honoring his commitment to our allies, Putin's investment in the NRA, MAGA, and Trump is paying dividends in new found aid and comfort.
The DOJ should be aggressively pursuing all who denied the 2020 election and continue to do so. While I don't suggest a resurrection of the horrific House Unamerican Activities Committee, where there are facts and evidence an elected member is acting as an unregistered foreign agent, let them voluntarily register, resign their position, and agree to never be a candidate for any public office again to avoid an indictment, conviction, and prison time.
Heather brings us updates of two of our three major plights now.
The two she cites -- the freedoms of American women (and their families) and the failure of Republicans to rally to Ukrainian freedom -- both owe to a sick love of abstractions from our elites who lack the humanities to respect humanity freely in others.
Take the U.S. Clarence court – that formerly respected body of now bribed, perjured, and corrupted across from the U.S Capitol. Because of its medieval abstracting of life, the Clarence court has ruled similarly medieval abstracters in individual U.S. states can override women’s rights.
Women in these states have faced death due to the medievalists.
Gets worse. Tens of millions of Americans fell prey to the billionaires as they offshored the working class jobs. Then, by Citizens United, the 2025 Project, and suits to end the Chevron Precedent, the billionaires have sought more power for themselves, abstracting away Americans' human needs for health care, worker safety, and environmental protections, for which the billionaires aim to kill, cripple federal programs.
Add to the Clarence court damages, and the billionaires trying to kill democratic government (in Ukraine, and in the U.S.) a third American plight, and that is how other religio-fanatic abstracters such as AIPAC keep America mired on the side of far-right Israeli settlers stealing Palestinian West Bank land, murdering there, mass-murdering in Gaza.
Good Heather recounts updates on at least two of our three national plights now. But still, some things scarcely change. As George Carlin said, our rulers do not care, not when he said that. Not now.
Minority Leader Jeffries has all but promised Speaker Johnson that Democrats would not support a motion to vacate the chair if he supports the Senate-passed Ukraine/Israel aid bill (HR 815).
The discharge petition to bring HR 815 to the floor needs only 218 signatures. It currently has 191 -- only one Republican.
Everyone reading this can help by calling Republican Representatives and urging them to sign the discharge petition for HR 815, to expedite delivery of military assistance for Ukraine before it's too late.
Once the bill passes the House it would go directly to the President for his signature and immediately become law.
Call the U S Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121 to connect with any Representative, and call Speaker Johnson's office (202) 225-4000 to insist that he encourage Republicans to sign the petition.
For phone numbers of about about two dozen specific Republicans known to support Ukraine aid, please click on recent Ukraine-related posts at:
Thank you, Dr. Richardson. It has long been apparent to us, on Substack, that trump favors putin and craves putin's admiration for himself. The problem is the MAGA cult does not listen to any news except Fox, and Fox never reports the news.
We need (and have for some time) viable Democratic candidates for all offices, State and Federal in all 50 States, in every single Congressional District. It is unfortunate the DNC, DCCC, and DSCC see their only responsibility as collecting as much money as they possibly can. They have neglected the most important function of a political committee - finding and training qualified candidates AND supporting those candidates through the election. (I quit giving them any money when I found out they were backing MAGA candidates instead of the competing Democrat in some districts.) I no longer am a card carrying member.
How can we possibly get the word to people in "Red States" or "Swing States" if we have no candidates to offer them,. or some one they don't know and have never heard of. Don't tell us the "Red States" are lost causes. I see all the time on Substack, people from Red States complaining they have no one to contact or protect the interests of the constituents instead of the party.
I note an article last week that claims that European politicians have been caught actually accepting money from Russia to push pro-Russian lies and messages, yet just like their American counterparts, no one is willing to name names. Why not? If those so named object, they then have to deny the Russian messages. If they don't object, then they verify the claim.
Fiona Hill, who was so marvelous in testifying on Trump’s ‘perfect’ call with President Zelensky (in which he said that he would block aid to Ukraine until he got some dirt on Biden’s (Hunter & Joe) involvement in Ukraine, is, for me, the canary in the coal mine.
She recently said that she perceives that Trump, if back in the White House, would block further aid to Ukraine and support a Putin settlement in which much of Russian-occupied Ukraine would be ceded to Russia.
She added that Trump would consider what has been happening a ‘Russian-Ukrainian-type-thing’ and NOT a critical NATO-Putin red line on his Greater Russia ambitions. WOW!
As a former Foreign Service Officer who put his life on the line for his country, I consider this treasonable. For me, the Ukrainian situation is a modern day Cold War—-if we pull a Chamberlain Munich (1938 signing over Sudetenland to appease Hitler), much worst will occur in the Baltic states and elsewhere.
We have seen other indications of this Quisling behavior with Trump’s ‘acting Secretary of State Grenell’ and others. The recent policy duet between Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Orban made me puke.
Personally, I believe that we are facing our greatest ‘isolationist America’ threat since the Lindbergh isolationist America movement before we entered World War II.
I hope that President Biden highlights this grave issue in the coming months. I hope that imperative aid to Ukraine soon gets approved by Democrats with enough Republicans hanging on to Democratic skirts.
I fervently hope that this is an issue about which a majority of Americans can be made to care.
Michael Cohen got 3 years in federal prison for his conduct in Trump's Stormy Daniels case (tax evasion, lying to Congress) and this was a reduced sentence for cooperation. High probability, Trump is convicted in his NYC trial starting in 6 days and high probability he gets sentenced to jail time (with bond pending appeal). Trump's claims of 'election interference' ring hollow for D.C. insurrection case given he will already be a convicted felon sentenced to jail time, thus increasing the probability terrible SCOTUS denies Trump's immunity claims and his D.C. trial starts early fall. WOW...I am guessing things are going to get increasingly bizarre and crazy between now and election day! Historically 'Watergate' type crazy!
Many of us have a good sense of the pro-Putin supporters in the House, Johnson leading the pack. It is vitally important to NAME EVERY SINGLE REPRESENTATIVE who is a Putin supporter. WAPO and the NYTimes should have these names as their top front-page stories. The headlines on all news programs, same. Of course Fox will refute this but they may be Pro-Putin as well. Call out everyone, immediately. Jeffries knows how to lead and would be a fantastic Speaker. All the backlog created by the House Magas would finally start to move forward for the good of this country.
Jamie Raskin heads a Democracy Summer 2024 program for youth. He writes,
"There are only 4 days left until Democracy Summer applications close, and I want to make sure all the dedicated and enthusiastic high-school and college students across America know about this exciting educational and political program.
"This can be a century of great exploration and creative change, freedom and equal rights for people everywhere or it can be a century of authoritarian repression and voter suppression, racial hatred, antisemitism, war and chaos.
"We need a new generation that actively chooses the path of democracy and civilization.
"That’s why I’m proud to train the next generation of political leaders, activists and organizers through our acclaimed Democracy Summer project. With nearly 90 Democratic campaigns participating already in 2024, we are ready to channel youth outrage and youth idealism into an unstoppable force for change all across America."
If you have or know of a young person looking for ways to keep democracy alive, here is the link to apply for Rep Raskin's program. It is divided by state. (Not all states are members)
Where are our journalists on the obvious continuing ties with the Republican Party and Russian agents? In Ultra, Rachel Maddow detailed how over 20 U.S. congressmen in the early 1940s being paid by Nazi agents to promote Nazi propaganda were never brought to justice. It's still hard to wrap one's head around that. And here we are again, with today's journalists in 2024 still resistant to place every headline on Trump and the GOP in the context of Russian influence. Last month Lev Parnas spoke plainly that Trump working again with Paul Manafort means a direct connection with the Kremlin. And once again, media may do the honest reporting AFTER the election, if at all.
Dr. Richardson makes a case in point with her skepticism about Trump claiming to raise 50 million dollars at a fundraiser, conveniently twice the number of Pres. Biden's recent record fundraiser. Yet the screaming headline in the NY Times was: "Trump Fundraiser Rakes in more than 50.5 million..." instead of justified skepticism "Without Verification Trump Team Claims Raising Double the Amount of Biden Fundraiser." Given the sheer number of lies, you would think every Trump headline would have a perfunctory caveat. And that's something media should be placing front and center, don't you all think?
I laughed out loud at this statement: "It is long past time for everyone to stop believing anything Trump says about money."
Two things: "With him all roads lead to Putin" ~ Nancy Pelosi, June 2020. But maybe it should be with 'them". They are all Russian stooges.Also, about a month ago, psychiatrist John Gartner did a vid about the "smoking gun" evidence of DJT's dementia. Several more mental heath experts have concurred.
The last words of HCR's Letter today, touched me to the quick; they reminded me of the words I read and the pictures that I saw yesterday.
'And yet Trump loyalists continue to block aid to Ukraine, threatening the existence of the rules-based international order that has helped to prevent war since World War II. Last week, even Trump’s former secretary of state Mike Pompeo warned Speaker Johnson against' “abandoning our Allies at this time of great need, when they are staring down enemies of the free world.” (Letter)
'Two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the hourly artillery duels, airstrikes and pitched fighting in the country’s east and south have turned the more than 600-mile front line into a scarred frontier. Parts of it may be uninhabitable for years, if not decades. Villages and towns are destroyed. Fields are mined. Roads are barely recognizable.'
'But clinging to the wreckage of their homes, and hometowns, are residents who refuse to leave. Buoyed by volunteers who deliver aid and their own battle-hardened survival instincts, they carry on with their lives in an unending test of endurance. The reasons they stay are many: to care for disabled family members, to look after pets or livestock or, plainly, their love of home.' (NYT, April 8, 2024) See gifted link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/world/europe/ukraine-war-front-line-life.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jE0.Qt2U.r2kpRVFGpE2g&smid=url-share
Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine? Just give Putin what he wants and it’ll be all over! Wow, how on earth has nobody ever thought of that before? Seriously though, isn’t it obvious to anyone that the man is a total train wreck, wheels coming off with every new day?
Thank you Professor Richardson. A few years ago I carefully reviewed the redacted Mueller Report and produced a book titled 'Orange is the New Orange' -a coffee table book with key quotes from the Mueller Report that laid bare the stunning relationships between Trump, his close associates and Putin. Flynn undermining sanctions against Russia before Trump was inaugurated, then lying about it. Manafort sharing election data with his Kremlin handlers. Back channel meetings with nefarious characters like Erik Prince (of Prince/DeVos family fame).
In parallel there was news about the NRA, Russian money, and Russian foreign agent Maria Butina. Of course gun ownership and gun violence prevention being another 'hot-button' issue dividing Americans faster than you can say Fox 'News'.
MAGA and GOP incompetents like M-T Greene, Jim Jordan, James Comer, and Lauren Boebert (among all the others who now infect Federal, State, and Local government) are useful idiots for Putin. Whether they recognize it or not they have all become a small army of useful idiots to Putin -and Trump is Putin's prized pawn.
So this has been part of a long-term strategy by Putin -and as 'Comrade/Rep. Mike Johnson' follows orders from Putin/Trump -instead of honoring his commitment to our allies, Putin's investment in the NRA, MAGA, and Trump is paying dividends in new found aid and comfort.
The DOJ should be aggressively pursuing all who denied the 2020 election and continue to do so. While I don't suggest a resurrection of the horrific House Unamerican Activities Committee, where there are facts and evidence an elected member is acting as an unregistered foreign agent, let them voluntarily register, resign their position, and agree to never be a candidate for any public office again to avoid an indictment, conviction, and prison time.
Heather brings us updates of two of our three major plights now.
The two she cites -- the freedoms of American women (and their families) and the failure of Republicans to rally to Ukrainian freedom -- both owe to a sick love of abstractions from our elites who lack the humanities to respect humanity freely in others.
Take the U.S. Clarence court – that formerly respected body of now bribed, perjured, and corrupted across from the U.S Capitol. Because of its medieval abstracting of life, the Clarence court has ruled similarly medieval abstracters in individual U.S. states can override women’s rights.
Women in these states have faced death due to the medievalists.
Gets worse. Tens of millions of Americans fell prey to the billionaires as they offshored the working class jobs. Then, by Citizens United, the 2025 Project, and suits to end the Chevron Precedent, the billionaires have sought more power for themselves, abstracting away Americans' human needs for health care, worker safety, and environmental protections, for which the billionaires aim to kill, cripple federal programs.
Add to the Clarence court damages, and the billionaires trying to kill democratic government (in Ukraine, and in the U.S.) a third American plight, and that is how other religio-fanatic abstracters such as AIPAC keep America mired on the side of far-right Israeli settlers stealing Palestinian West Bank land, murdering there, mass-murdering in Gaza.
Good Heather recounts updates on at least two of our three national plights now. But still, some things scarcely change. As George Carlin said, our rulers do not care, not when he said that. Not now.
Minority Leader Jeffries has all but promised Speaker Johnson that Democrats would not support a motion to vacate the chair if he supports the Senate-passed Ukraine/Israel aid bill (HR 815).
The discharge petition to bring HR 815 to the floor needs only 218 signatures. It currently has 191 -- only one Republican.
Everyone reading this can help by calling Republican Representatives and urging them to sign the discharge petition for HR 815, to expedite delivery of military assistance for Ukraine before it's too late.
Once the bill passes the House it would go directly to the President for his signature and immediately become law.
Call the U S Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121 to connect with any Representative, and call Speaker Johnson's office (202) 225-4000 to insist that he encourage Republicans to sign the petition.
For phone numbers of about about two dozen specific Republicans known to support Ukraine aid, please click on recent Ukraine-related posts at:
https://www.FeathersOfHope.net
.
Thank you, Dr. Richardson. It has long been apparent to us, on Substack, that trump favors putin and craves putin's admiration for himself. The problem is the MAGA cult does not listen to any news except Fox, and Fox never reports the news.
We need (and have for some time) viable Democratic candidates for all offices, State and Federal in all 50 States, in every single Congressional District. It is unfortunate the DNC, DCCC, and DSCC see their only responsibility as collecting as much money as they possibly can. They have neglected the most important function of a political committee - finding and training qualified candidates AND supporting those candidates through the election. (I quit giving them any money when I found out they were backing MAGA candidates instead of the competing Democrat in some districts.) I no longer am a card carrying member.
How can we possibly get the word to people in "Red States" or "Swing States" if we have no candidates to offer them,. or some one they don't know and have never heard of. Don't tell us the "Red States" are lost causes. I see all the time on Substack, people from Red States complaining they have no one to contact or protect the interests of the constituents instead of the party.
I note an article last week that claims that European politicians have been caught actually accepting money from Russia to push pro-Russian lies and messages, yet just like their American counterparts, no one is willing to name names. Why not? If those so named object, they then have to deny the Russian messages. If they don't object, then they verify the claim.
Fiona Hill, who was so marvelous in testifying on Trump’s ‘perfect’ call with President Zelensky (in which he said that he would block aid to Ukraine until he got some dirt on Biden’s (Hunter & Joe) involvement in Ukraine, is, for me, the canary in the coal mine.
She recently said that she perceives that Trump, if back in the White House, would block further aid to Ukraine and support a Putin settlement in which much of Russian-occupied Ukraine would be ceded to Russia.
She added that Trump would consider what has been happening a ‘Russian-Ukrainian-type-thing’ and NOT a critical NATO-Putin red line on his Greater Russia ambitions. WOW!
As a former Foreign Service Officer who put his life on the line for his country, I consider this treasonable. For me, the Ukrainian situation is a modern day Cold War—-if we pull a Chamberlain Munich (1938 signing over Sudetenland to appease Hitler), much worst will occur in the Baltic states and elsewhere.
We have seen other indications of this Quisling behavior with Trump’s ‘acting Secretary of State Grenell’ and others. The recent policy duet between Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Orban made me puke.
Personally, I believe that we are facing our greatest ‘isolationist America’ threat since the Lindbergh isolationist America movement before we entered World War II.
I hope that President Biden highlights this grave issue in the coming months. I hope that imperative aid to Ukraine soon gets approved by Democrats with enough Republicans hanging on to Democratic skirts.
I fervently hope that this is an issue about which a majority of Americans can be made to care.
Michael Cohen got 3 years in federal prison for his conduct in Trump's Stormy Daniels case (tax evasion, lying to Congress) and this was a reduced sentence for cooperation. High probability, Trump is convicted in his NYC trial starting in 6 days and high probability he gets sentenced to jail time (with bond pending appeal). Trump's claims of 'election interference' ring hollow for D.C. insurrection case given he will already be a convicted felon sentenced to jail time, thus increasing the probability terrible SCOTUS denies Trump's immunity claims and his D.C. trial starts early fall. WOW...I am guessing things are going to get increasingly bizarre and crazy between now and election day! Historically 'Watergate' type crazy!
Many of us have a good sense of the pro-Putin supporters in the House, Johnson leading the pack. It is vitally important to NAME EVERY SINGLE REPRESENTATIVE who is a Putin supporter. WAPO and the NYTimes should have these names as their top front-page stories. The headlines on all news programs, same. Of course Fox will refute this but they may be Pro-Putin as well. Call out everyone, immediately. Jeffries knows how to lead and would be a fantastic Speaker. All the backlog created by the House Magas would finally start to move forward for the good of this country.
Jamie Raskin heads a Democracy Summer 2024 program for youth. He writes,
"There are only 4 days left until Democracy Summer applications close, and I want to make sure all the dedicated and enthusiastic high-school and college students across America know about this exciting educational and political program.
"This can be a century of great exploration and creative change, freedom and equal rights for people everywhere or it can be a century of authoritarian repression and voter suppression, racial hatred, antisemitism, war and chaos.
"We need a new generation that actively chooses the path of democracy and civilization.
"That’s why I’m proud to train the next generation of political leaders, activists and organizers through our acclaimed Democracy Summer project. With nearly 90 Democratic campaigns participating already in 2024, we are ready to channel youth outrage and youth idealism into an unstoppable force for change all across America."
If you have or know of a young person looking for ways to keep democracy alive, here is the link to apply for Rep Raskin's program. It is divided by state. (Not all states are members)
https://democracy-summer.breezy.hr/
Regarding Russian propaganda and the "obvious" Republicans:
Please explain to me why this isn't treason.
Thank you Heather.
Sheesh, what’s next, A.I. Donald?