At the Munich Security Conference, where leaders from more than 70 countries gather annually in Germany to discuss international security policy, Vice President Kamala Harris today responded to Trump’s recent attacks on America’s global leadership with a full-throated defense of global engagement.
My whole position is that if you are committing large-scale white collar crime, money is clearly the most important thing to you, so the fairest punishment and most effective dissuasion is not incarceration (though that too, please!) but an absolutely enormous Bucket O Fines. Every single penny you have made from your chicanery should be taken and returned to greater society. Being rich was just that important, huh? Congrats, you're poor now. Think twice.
My Grandma couldn't travel on her retirement like she wanted to her whole life because of those bastards from Enron, and the fact they were not made to spend the rest of their earthly days shuffling around Skid Row with their bread crusts hanging out the holes in their pockets is mind-boggling to me.
When I was a baby my mom and dad both worked full time. This was in 1955 when it was uncommon for married women to work outside the home. One of our neighbors had a newborn, Mark Koenig, who eventually grew up to be the only person at Enron to serve prison time for their horrendous acts of fraud. My mom dropped me off at the Koenig's every day for over a year. 23 years later, when I bought my first house, I learned that my next door neighbor's two sons were in the Nebraska State Penitentiary for armed robbery.
To my knowledge, Mark and Ken were the only two of my 765 classmates to do time--one for blue collar crime and one for white collar crime.
In the late 1980s maybe early 1990s, Trump came to my hometown of Hartford. He wanted to build a casino here. A friend met him and she told me he sounded real smart. I looked at her and said, “You gotta be kidding.” I ever saw anything but ignorance in Trump. After our governor who teamed with our mayor and friend, Carrie Saxon Perry gave our native Indians exclusive casino rights, Trump was heard to exclaim, “They don’t look like Indians to me.”
When the subject is business fraud, it’s always good practice to mention business regulation. The radical Republicans want little to none, in order to put profits over people, no matter how much danger and pain it causes.
Coincidentally TFG’s only real policy is chaos, no matter how bad. As long as he is causing pain for someone else, his base is happy. It’s so strange and remarkable. I dont think the two have existed like this before in our history. It is not sustainable.
I think that's a mythology that needs a more critical look. Government is not in and of itself, a "problem" as government can be good or bad, but is never truly absent, even if of warlords in a failed state. Republicans appear to be paid to champion government by and for the wealthiest; a very old pattern. They actually want a very robust and intrusive government to favor and and bail out the wealthy and to keep a lid on you. They particularly want to keep a lid on marginalized people, e.g. SWAT team evictions, abortion bans, don't talk about slavery, don't say "gay", etc.
"Regulation" is just another word for "rules". There are always rules between persons, whether imposed cooperatively or by force. There are, even when unstated, rules for kids, rules between couples, strangers on the street. The Constitution is a set of rules defining boundaries of behavior. We set or observe boundaries in any human interaction, whether we think about it or not. Their can be conflict when those boundaries are not recognized, abused or ignored. Rights involve boundaries, especially if "unalienable".
“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”— Frank Wilhoit
An important element of the Republican amalgamation is small business owners, who stereotypically want less regulation as they strive to make a living and pay their handful of workers.
I'm diggin' your poetry John; And I say that sincerely. Why not just talk among us, as opposed to what you've been doing ? Who know's - there just may be some good folks hereabouts that might just be as smart and almighty, or nearly so.
I have a tiny bit to add to your Enron rant. Ken Lay supposedly croaked in Colorado at his place in aspen. I happened to be in the El Paso county coroners office when they were doing the inquiry into his death. The odd behavior of people I knew there makes me wonder who they actually had on the slab.
Don't cry for me Argentina. He was supposedly buying up water rights there.
Heart attack my arse. I think he took something to cause a heart attack but who knows. What is important is the deregulation that created space for fraud and obscene profits from a boring utility privation. Something similar in Russia created their Oligarchy.
Agreed about Enron fraud. Too many investors in Enroll overlooked the golden rule of investment - never put your financial eggs in one big basket. You just never know.
Funny thing about fraud. Creates more fraud. Pretty soon everybody drinking the same kool aid, even the fraudsters at the top start believing their own lies and schemes.
Yep! Self-serving, behind the scenes, accounting fraud inflating revenues reducing liabilities, artificially inflating Enron's value on the stock exchanges.
That was just the employer contribution portion. At that time, that was common practice. In fact, at the bank I worked at for 40 years, you could only remove the employer contribution out of company stock after you hit 55. Those that worked there in the 2008-9 recession literally lost half their 401k balance.
Perhaps the California teachers have learned a thing or two also; their retirement system was highly invested in Russian gas, oil, coal sham companies - at least as I vaguely recall.
Will, you write: ". Every single penny you have made from your chicanery should be taken and returned to greater society." You are now talking about the American oligarchs who control the Republican party who have stripped more than $34 trillion out of the U.S. economy, starting with Reagan. It is tough fighting them when they use effective wedge issues (immigration, gay rights, abortion, etc.) to deceive the gullible.
I think they should have to pay every penny they made by cheating plus interest and penalties. Too often the fines are minuscule compared to the ill-gotten gains, so it can appear worthwhile to continue cheating. At a certain point: incarceration in a jail that is no country club!
I recall that at least one of the big banks that was under investigation in the subprime crash saw it stock shoot up when the "settlement" was announced, a "wet noodle" penalty. I was reading that companies whose employees die due to violating safety regulations are subject to minor fines for the infarction, even with a history of being out of compliance. I read of an individual that was convicted of murder (not manslaughter) because a trailer being towed lacked a safety chain, broke loose and killed someone, but corporations are "deregulated", thus can literally get away with murder. And stockholders pay the fines, while the perps walk.
"But it remains true that, at some institutions that engaged in inappropriate conduct before, and may yet again, the buck still stops nowhere. Responsibility remains so diffuse, and top executives so insulated, that any misconduct could again be considered more a symptom of the institution’s culture than a result of the willful actions of any single individual."
Either that……..or wearing a skirt and hustling cigarettes for a cell/room mate named Bubba. I want to see the former guy wearing an orange outfit that matches his skin tone.
I believe there is also a Guiliani equivalent suit against Trump for the insurrection by one of the Capital officers? Worth maybe north of 100m if it pans out. On the side IRS is looking into back taxes, and lord knows about penalties?
Jeri: all the Richie Rich oligarchs want to make sure the IRS never has enough staff to audit their taxes. That’s an ask they probably tie to all the recipients of their donor largess.
The lawyer who wrote our will (a few years back) said that the IRS was mostly busting the poor (over some income credit, and the poor are less likely to keep good records) because they can't afford to tackle the lawyered-up wealthy.
J L Graham. I remember news people asking “How much of a judgment will make 45 stop defaming E. Jean Carroll?” Looks like $83 million is the magic number.
Because he is so appealing Pam. And as it becomes more and more clear….appealing this, appealing that, he now spends his life and those who bowed to him appealing…..this answer is credible , huh?
As Lawrence O'Donnell suggested last night, are the Saudi's or the UAE going to bail him out, or maybe some of the proceeds of the oil Russia sells as discount to them so they can then resell it to the west at international prices? Not sure I'm kidding on this one. Financial overseers of Trump's business going to have a close eye on this one? He can't borrow from any NY registered bank.
Trump apparently just made billions after Truth Social went public. He should now be able to post bail himself. I m so tired of iTrump, MTG, Jordan and the whole MAGA Gaga gang. Mike Johnson better put our House in order or vacate the chair to someone capable of bipartisan leadership. The MAGA fools are beyond useful idiots. They are so blinded by their sense of self importance that they have lost their sense of self preservation. We simply have to find a way of ridding ourselves of these parasites.
I read an article regarding the merger of Truth Social & some other entity which would eventually give dumpty billions! Would give him a way to pay off his "debts". How depressing is that!
As noted in a classic study, Hitler had his "willing executioners," some of whom were well-educated professionals and captains of industry. Having college degrees and lots of money does not mean one is morally literate.
Seems like potential investors in Truth Social would take a lesson from the horrendous financial mess that is X/Twitter and avoid enriching Trump by avoiding the stock.
Hope it stays that way - he doesnt deserve to be "rescued"! Although I saw online that there is a GoFundMe to raise the money for him. Imagine!! Someone living on SS & giving money to this crook. Although, I guess thats been going on for some time.
He’s going to have to sell a big property. Forced sell. And the buyers know it is a forced sale, so done right they won’t have to make a premium offer.
Most of his properties are heavily leveraged, and currently office space is problematic because of the effects on that market caused by the pandemic. I'm not sure that selling even a large portion of his properties can save his sorry backside. Here's hoping.
Down market environment even more… Court forcing the sales. These two factors compound the interest of the buyer. Buyers market! Donnie is going to feel some real pain. Suck it Donnie!
I anxiously await his demise - literal or figurative. Somehow, I don't foresee Jared opening his Saudi purse to save him. My guess is that even our home-grown oligarchs are increasingly considering him too damaged to do him any favors.
Selling real estate in a down market with even more deflation pressure ( the court forcing the sale)… the buyers really have the upper hand. Like sharks in the water smelling blood. I believe this can cause a domino effect of unforeseen consequences, the selling of another property and another to cover losses, then to cover the short term cash flow problem the first forced sale. We shouldn’t underestimate the real potential for future exposure to a highly leveraged business. Then compound what the fines could be in Georgia and Flordia! I believe you have to click a box if you committed misdemeanors and felonies on a bank application right? But no US banks loan to the guy either. Soon the only revenue stream to maintain the racket will be to license his brand name to despots and oligarchs in their country’s. But, still and idiot but no longer useful and with sanctions in place…. Mr Orange is so f’ed!!!!
Had not thought that he will continue his style of $$$ manipulative activities w his unscrupulous connections. Soooooo disturbing that his friends, Putin & gang, could finagle to get $$ to him. Although if he all of a sudden comes up with $$, the SHOULD make the monitors more than curious! we had 1 day of pleasure, back to business today!
To be honest, I'm not sure that foreign aid to Trump is really possible, he does need to put money down in bond to be held against the results of his appeal/s, which might just take a while. All that $$$ tied up til then. The longer that stretches on, interest to the tune of a million a week is added to the bill. Another 50 mil by xmas???
Maybe Elon Musk will respond to one of those ubiquitous internet messages and chip in a few hundred millions. For him, that is an insignificant amount.
Lorna, see at 5:34 minutes in on Jordan Klepper’s recent vid interviewing Haley/Trump supporters…shows a fellow who spent, it seems, more than he could afford to lose on Trumpy stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud3btbISggA. Just imagine the difference such “donations” could make to local food banks, or any number of “public good” endeavors. Sigh.
No one is mentioning Tim Mellon who financially backed Abbots string of wire. It was all right for Tim's Grandmother to come to this country from Ireland to marry Andrew Mellon. Tim had a rant about the Unpriviledge, how he would want to cut all their "hand outs" . Love Klepperer, and loved the video
The Trump family is from immigration too. Ireland and Germany. I think what we are witnessing from nearly all the MAGA crowd is racism. Disdain for "the other".
Spent some time on Facebook with Steve Philips (How We Win the Civil War) and he thinks Democrats should be trying to win Black and brown voters rather than chasing independent white suburbans.
Yeah, Jennifer, the cluelessness is gobsmacking. The whole shebang is foretold in the movie “Idiocracy”—never thought to see that movie play out in real life! Watched it again some months ago and it is not unlike a Klepper vid or Fox “news” segment.
"The couple who says Mussolini is more like it as compared to Hitler!" I do think he is more like Mussolini, and I think he has imitated Mussolini's posturing. But sure that the couple had no clue about who Mussolini was.
Harvey, I think, even tho he’s been doing this awhile, that it still stuns him…sometimes you can hear a hint of incredulity in his voice/tone, but he never disrespects those he’s speaking with. Kinda like he’s trying to ferret out “how can this be?” at its source.
Millions of dollars missing and not investigated, Mike?
Now you know why U.S. universities have more attending biz ed classes than any other (twice as many in biz ed as in all health sciences combined). Gotta learn the "skills" for sucking up to the billionaire criminal classes.
…it also comes from very wealthy Americans - oligarchs - who only care about lowering their taxes and ridding the country of regulations on business. Imagine no regulations on the food we eat and the water we drink!!
I forgot about that theft from the church. Amazing what you can get people to do in this life by promising them glory in the after. Sadly, they've been brainwashed since childhood and will never know this is it.
You might also want to check out Dark Money, many thanks to enabling by right wing Scotus.... short thrift to democratic concepts of "one person one vote"...
"enabling by right wing Scotus"--the abominable trifecta: Buckley (1976), Bellotti (1978), Citizens United (2010). When the Democrats control The White House and Congress, legislation to overturn these decisions (perhaps requiring an end of the Senate filibuster) that destroyed over a century of political reform and legalized bribery should be of top priority. Include a reference to Article III, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution: "...the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make." and tell the Supreme Court: Hands off! This legislation is passed outside of your jurisdiction. Perhaps followed by the creation of a permanent Standing Committee for the ethical oversight of the Supreme Court and changing life-time tenure of the "Justices" to fifteen years. (Allowing a second term might encourage good behavior.)
Thanks, and Amen! Somehow a more neutral form of appointment; both conservatives and liberals run separate legal societies who run queues for future judicial federal judges. Maybe force these societies to work in tandem ... or something new...
Plus the monies the Trump org has to pay for his sons, so add 8 mil there. We can also add in legal fees which are quite enormous. I have read that Trump is up to 50 mil in legal fees. It is an amount that a regular person just cannot imagine.
There are also mandatory court costs (eg, ~8,000 pages of transcripts), plus the fees for the monitor and the compliance officer. Then there are the fees for the defense's expert witnesses who charged $950-1,400 per hour for hundreds of hours of work, and, last but not least , there's the little matter of the attorneys' fees. To the latter two groups I say good luck seeing a dime.
It will be interesting to see what happens to family harmony now that DJTJ and Eric each have been fined ~$4M as ill-gotten gains from the sale of the Old Post Office but sister Ivanka, can keep her $4M because of something called tolling.
Overdraftfees..? Those are only things mortals pay while shuffling an overdue credit card payment onto a new 'balance transfer' with no interest for 2 years, in order to avoid that 29% interest/usury charge. But, I suppose those paying $4500 per month apartment rental don't have too much of a problem paying for life's simple amenities. So, 29% is no big deal. Meanwhile, the flag waving #45 supporter living in a 12x70 rundown mobil home, who can only afford the most-basic "amenities" at best, will pay that overdraft fee, and the interest, and try their best not to default on that 2 year no interest creditcard loan (cause you know what that will mean 29%!!). Probably no factor for #45 et al.
Trump's lawyers have lawyers and if any of them get stiffed, they all quit until they are paid. TFFG has been using campaign funds to pay for some of his litigation and his sycophants have also been pitching in, but in the end you can bet the lawyers will get paid. He is screwed if he tries to stiff ANY of his lawyers. Of course, he could always opt to represent himself. /S
He’s using the RNC coffers and donors like he did the banks! He’s the consummate fraudster even as he is defending himself of fraud. What idiots these donors are! My god, the redeemer role has so much power over them.
One the reasons he hasn't been able to get A-list attorneys is that he has a long-standing reputation for not paying his attorneys for the 4,000 plus law suits he's been involved in -- many for not paying his bills! Smart Christopher Kise, who is a B+ guy (or was until the taint of Trump rubs off on him) demanded $3M upfront before he would agree to take the engagement.
Another issue is that most of the major and even minor law firms have conflicts of interest with Trump or Trump, Inc. so no one in the firm can represent him -- not that they would want to. Besides not paying his lawyers, who wants to admit they "tried" to represent Trump or worse that he stiffed them.
Yup. Then there's the little issue of him being THE worst client in the world! Megalomaniac narcissists and pathological liars do not the best clients make.
MisTBlu: I think DJT “fired” Ronna Romney McDaniel when she said she would cut off GOP funding for his legal fees. But there’s still the Trump PACs and his small donors. They have all been paying his lawyers. So that’s how he continues to squirm out of paying and still has representation.
McDaniel cut off RNC funding for Trump's legal bills when he announced his run for president, as she had promised. That's one of the reasons he wants her out. The RNC paid ~$2M on the theory that some of the suits were politically motivated.
Pardon me for being skeptical, but I doubt very much if Trump will pay anything at all in fines. He is a huge fraudster, but I doubt he’ll ever see the inside of a jail cell. Justice is a shaky concept in the USA. As Trump demonstrated with his presidential pardons of convicted criminals, lots of people are above the law in the USA.
Terry, this is a good read about what Trump MUST do and what his alternatives are. Not many. JMO, but I think Humpty Dumpty has fallen off the wall. How he lands nobody knows.
The weekend will be filled with panicky family meetings and calls to bonding companies. I am going to guess that the whole Trump Organization is a facade - a con.
I’m wondering if, being forced to sell a property or two, couldn’t that expose some former wrong doing or other financial detail from a previous transaction? The only way Trump made it out of the last crash of 2007, was dark investments loans and sales and licensing deals from Putin’s oligarchs via Deutsche Bank. Could a sale expose just a little of that sparking a wider investigation? I can only hope!
If TFFG appeals he is required to post a bond for the amount owed x 111%.
Who is going to give him that kind of money without it being secured by his real estate holding? Sure a few MAGANAZIs are rich and dumb enough but I don't see that happening. And his sheeple can't raise that kind of money for him.
He must be sweating bullets trying to figure out if he can afford to appeal.
And it's frightening to read elsewhere that, as the likely Repub nominee, he'll be receiving top secret briefings in less than 6 months. How much will he sell those for?
I wonder if that's something the Biden admin has control over -- after all, he was denied the courtesy of receiving such info post-presidency per Biden; I hope that this would be handled in a similar fashion.
Lynn, I’ve been wondering that too. I’d like to see a list like the one David posted that enumerates the cost of all the investigations into J6, the cost of all those 61 lawsuits about the 2020 election, the cost of the time congress devotes to this like the cost of the second impeachment and the J6 committee, the costs of all these lawsuits against Trump, etc etc etc - all those costs that we the people are paying for.
Although unfortunate, it's a cost well worth bearing, as these various investigations and trials have necessarily exposed him and his grotesque misdeeds against our country and citizens.
True. I'm not sure how he can/will, but if it's possible he'll at least find a way to delay. I wonder what happens if he dies before he pays off his legally-incurred debts -- is his estate still responsible? Not sure of the answer, but I hope so.
Yeah..., this loser-of-a-soap opera has been costly to all of us. The obscene nature of it..., I'm at a loss for words. Perhaps, "hazardous waste - not suitable for a landfill" fits. Or, a title like "#45 - The Degenerate". Accompanied by "WARNING - Extremely profane behavior un-worthy of an American, Viewer discretion called for". Of no redeemable value. Whewww... I'm going to go plow some snow.
So who receives tfg's fines from Engoron? That would be a good amount to send to Ukraine since the repugs won't send money --- just wishful thinking, but ---
I think the catastrophic financial losses and the stripping of Orange-Toad's business license hurts Orange-Carnival-Barker far more than the felony indictments.
I've been collecting a list of Trump epithets since Feb 13 (currently four days ago) since someone inspired me with "Mango Moon". Thanks for two new additions in one sentence!
On the People of the state of New York's case in front of Judge Engoron, the $355 "from Judge Engoron" the $355,000 award figure does not include PRE-JUDGMENT iINTEREST. Many, including me, put the TOTAL estimated amount around 453,000.00. I am using '$455,000+' because post-interest increases daily.
💲Money or bond is due within. thirty (30) days. Hat Tip to Lawrence O'Donnell who was interviewed last night by ALEX WAGNER. Lawrence pined that the son-in-law JARED may come to the rescue via his SAUDI 💲money connection. I am seeking corroboration after that I will seek additional corroboration.
He will be bailed out by some worthless regime desirous of having the US in its pocket for innumerable favors. It’ll seem like a good investment on the possibility of him becoming President in a few months.
There is no bottom to this barrel of monstrosities.
It's not enough. A few hundred pounds of flesh might satisfy me. Not only am I livid at Trump, his family, and his enablers, I am livid that the idealism and mutual respect this country's residents had is shattered.
I retain faith that the pieces can be glued back together, but that will take years. Will I still be alive? My health and my lucky genetics say, "likely", but a calmer retirement with few worries about our kids' futures is still a ways away. A successful trouncing of MAGA in 2024 will go a long way in allaying my worries.
On a positive note, Navalny's murder may help isolate MAGA maniacs more. Speaker Johnson's comments might be about supporters of Putin within Congress, but also about Trump's continued losses in court. Trump is toast, though the toaster isn't hot enough for me
Cash or a Surety Bond is required before 30 days run out from the ruling. But, one needs to include Pre-Judgmet interest & of course, POST-judgment interest as well EstimatedTOTAL at $453.5 Million now.
Recessing the House just now is indefensible. The 118th Congress had conspicuously avoided its responsibilities while in session, but this latest outrage is the worst yet.
We voters should be writing our representatives to complain and to Speaker of the House, that if he wants to save the tax payers money he should not make us pay them for not doing the work they are elected to do, by recessing when their is important work to be done. We should ask for the national election ballot to have a referendum that we don't pay politicians who miss a certain number of days, unless they are ill. It seems to me that Mike Johnson recessed to avoid dealing with the Aid to our allies funding bill. That should warrant everyone at least writing to their Representatives in the House.
An important thing to note is that when lawmakers are on recess, they are NOT on vacation (or at least not supposed to be). They are working from their offices in the home state/district, instead of their offices in D.C. The alternative is having them be separated from their constituents entirely (and their families), or being inactive in one location or the other for months at a time. People seem to totally forget this. The *good* members are busy wherever they are.
That said high-level negotiations can only be realistically done in D.C. and recessing before they are complete is beyond irresponsible.
Good point. Recess is a term too conflated. There are campaign related activities and other obligations to their donors to consider, while also serving the interests of the rest of their constituency. Whole body and committee actions are suspended during a recess.
Actually, Jen, pressure from constituents is important and effective. As members of Congress keep track of the number of pro and con phone calls, emails, and letters; it's urgent that we contact our representatives. I usually call. Johnson will cave under pressure. It's up to us to apply that pressure!
Even the ones that don't care, count votes. Very few of our emails or letters are read. But someone in every politician's office counts the sentiments of those communications. If enough people write and express their outrage, that can affect any politician's decisions. Of course, writing to the equivalent of an alien toad is frustrating. So just fire away with short missives.
I have my Senators, my House Rep and the WH all set up with auto fill - super easy to just fill in my latest rant.
Sorry about FL. We have family there. Blue dots in a red sea of insanity and bigotry.
I’ve written and called my representative, a Republican -- somewhat unusual in New Jersey, several times and have come to the same conclusion as you, he doesn’t care.
I agree, but appealing to their sense of duty to taxpayers will only seenike a joke to them. We need to put a fire under their asses and the fear of God andother Nature into their shriveled up little hearts
Still, I have written mine this morning demanding that they get back to work to earn our tax dollars and support my cousins who are stationed in Germany, the military in general, and our allies.------ I was reading an article yesterday in Euro News that EU countries and the USA are having difficulties recruiting people into the military. In the EU because the youth don't believe in war for the most part, and in the USA, because a huge part of our population is too obese to join the military who would be eligible to otherwise. This leads to White Supremacists more easily slipping in. I read that Spain and another country are considering using immigrants, with a fast road to citizenship. I have been recommending this to be a strategy for Ukraine, since I read that Putin was conscripting refugees once Finland closed the border to them. Perhaps this should be a US strategy as well.
Mr. Johnson and the rest of the MAGA crew have egg on their face after the murder of Navalny. Let’s also not forget that Matt Getthemwhiletheyre young has his own problems. How’s that going taking orders from PO1135809?
"ask for the national election ballot to have a referendum". Separate it from the election! This would be a great reform for all time, allowing the American people to weaponize public efforts to pressure Congress whenever they forget the people's will.
Jonathan, this Congress has only continued to meet its responsibilities, not avoided them.
Remember, Republicans are responsible for covering up for, defending, funding the fat orange fraud, rapist, con man, and rouser of hate.
Putin killed Navalny, as he killed democracy in Russia -- rather as the ideologue, theocratic U.S. Supreme Court killed the personal, health, and family life of U.S. women. Both Putin and the court hold their forced packaging of others above the law that had protected freedoms.
That fat, waddling orange guy -- he so hates the law which might curb his corruptions. And Nazis abroad the land support him, like that spineless theocrat speaker of the U.S. House.
But there are so many Nazis mixed in among the Republicans -- so many totally dehumanized, totally for the international murderers like Putin.
Dems? Too many are fooling themselves that these criminal classes are imploding, when ilk as Putin, Trump, Tucker, Clarence, and the U.S. House Howdy Doody still hold themselves immune for criminality.
No kidding Jonathan. I have written to two Republican Congresscritters chastising them for being traitors to America and begging them to pass aid to Ukraine.
I received a response from Don Bacon (NE) yesterday. I haven't opened it yet. He has been ignoring my emails since Johnson was made Trump's puppet. No response from John Rutherford (R-FL4). They both have military backgrounds and say they support Ukraine. What a crock.
Hopefully, the press will hound Johnson incessantly by whatever rock he is hiding under.
Astonishingly they don't care about their constituents or the country and they think of themselves as patriots. What do they care about? Being primaries out of their seats by trump's cultists.
We need to federalize what Oregon did. Chronic Absenteeism needs to have a punishment. Failure to be present and vote on bills disqualifies future running for office. No recess till the critical work gets done. The threat of shutting everything down through not appropriating needs a severe consequence to those that perpetuate destruction of the full faith and credit. Isn’t this a part of one of the reconstruction amemdments?
As a healthcare worker, if the end of the shift came and the work wasn’t done, nobody went home until it was completed. We are paying these Congress people and they are going home with work unfinished… how can we stop this?
The United States must elect and support leadership who will project strength, stability, and unwavering support for our allies and our international treaties.
When the GOP majority in the House betrays their oath to our own Constitution and justice system, projecting stability becomes a bridge too far.
People like Gosar, Biggs, Jordan, Taylor-Greene, Boebert, Perry, Gaetz, Comer, and others (and the voters who elevate them to leadership) are only capable of projecting chaos and incompetence, not stability or strength.
A man is not a plan, and neither is hope. But I'm still hoping that Mikey's is a sign that he's seeing the light on Ukraine. Navalny's assassination, along with news this morning of a major Ukrainian retreat in the war, may stir these MAGAts to the realization that this shit is real. But as I said, it's just a hope and not an expectation.
How can we be assured that Trump who took that oath to the Constitution, if re-elected will swear an oath to the Constitution again, and disregard it...AGAIN?
The Presidential oath of office is - "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
There is nothing in there about executing the office except for 187 minutes while insurrections storm the Capital.
'The Death of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Formidable Opponent'
'The opposition leader, who died in prison, had been persecuted for years by the Russian state. He remained defiant, and consistently funny, to the very end.'
By Masha Gessen in The NEWYORKER (exerpt)
‘Alexey Navalny spent at least a decade standing up to the Kremlin when it seemed impossible. He was jailed and released. He was poisoned, and survived. He was warned to stay away from Russia and didn’t. He was arrested in front of dozens of cameras, with millions of people watching. In prison, he was defiant and consistently funny. For three years, his jailers put him in solitary confinement, cut off his access to and arrested his lawyers, piled on sentence after sentence, sent him all the way across the world’s largest country to serve out his time in the Arctic, and still, when he appeared on video in court, he laughed at his jailers. Year after year, he faced down the might of one of the world’s cruellest states and the vengeance of one of the world’s cruellest men. His promise was that he would outlive them and lead what he called the Beautiful Russia of the Future. On Friday, they killed him. He was forty-seven years old.’
‘Hours after the news of his death broke, his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, addressed the Munich Security Conference. “I don’t know whether to believe the news, the terrible news, which we are only getting from state-controlled sources in Russia,” she said, from the conference’s main stage’. “As you all know, for many years we’ve been unable to believe Putin and his government. They always lie. But, if it is true, I want Putin and everyone around him, his friends and his government, to know that they will be held responsible for what they have done to our country, to my family, and to my husband. The day of reckoning will come very soon.”
‘In Russia, Vladimir Putin was visiting an industrial park in Chelyabinsk, in the Urals. He took questions from staff and students, who were seated a safe distance from the Russian President on what appeared to be the plant floor. Putin seemed to be in an unusually good mood. He bantered and flirted with the audience. He boasted that Western sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine had boosted industrial production inside Russia. He hadn’t seemed so jovial in public in years.’
‘In exactly a month, Russia will hold a ritual that it calls an election. With no actual alternative to Putin, who has total control of the media and the so-called electoral institutions, the current Russian President will be crowned for another six-year term, extending his time in power to thirty-one years. Navalny tried to run against Putin six years ago, but the rigged system stopped him. His very name was banished from the airwaves. Still, even when the system shut him out, and, later, when it put him in prison, Navalny remained Putin’s most formidable opponent.’ (by Masha Gessen, The NEWYORKER)
'Tributes to Alexei Navalny, Putin’s greatest foe, removed from Russian cities as police look on'
BY EMMA BURROWS (AP)
'Floral tributes to Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe who died Friday in a Russian penal colony, were removed overnight by groups of unknown people while police watched, videos on Russian social media channels show.'
'More than 100 people were detained in eight cities across Russia after they came to lay flowers in memory of Navalny, according to OVD-Info, a group that monitors political repression in Russia. Russia’s prison service said in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence. On Saturday, police blocked access to a memorial in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk and detained several people, OVD-Info said.'
'Videos and photos shared on Russian social media channels showed flowers being cleared from monuments to victims of Soviet-era repressions across Russia. In Moscow, flowers were removed overnight from a memorial near the headquarters of Russia’s Federal Security Service by a large group while police looked on, a video showed. But by morning more flowers had appeared.'
'The news of Navalny’s death comes less than a month before an election that will give Putin another six years in power.'
'It shows “that the sentence in Russia now for opposition is not merely imprisonment, but death,” said Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus and senior fellow for Russia & Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.'
'Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service reported that Navalny felt sick after a walk Friday and lost consciousness at the penal colony in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow. An ambulance arrived, but he couldn’t be revived; the cause of death is still “being established,” 'it said.'
'Navalny had been jailed since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow to face certain arrest after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. He was later convicted three times, saying each case was politically motivated, and received a sentence of 19 years for extremism.'
'After the last verdict, Navalny said he understood he was “serving a life sentence, which is measured by the length of my life or the length of life of this regime.”
'Hours after Navalny’s death was reported, his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, made a dramatic appearance at a security conference in Germany where many leaders had gathered.'
'She said she had considered canceling,' “but then I thought what Alexei would do in my place. And I’m sure he would be here,” 'adding that she was unsure if she could believe the news from official Russian sources.'
'U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington doesn’t know exactly what happened,' “but there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something Putin and his thugs did.”
'Navalny' “could have lived safely in exile,” but returned home despite knowing he could be imprisoned or killed “because he believed so deeply in his country, in Russia.”
'In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Navalny “has probably now paid for this courage with his life.”
'Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was told of Navalny’s death. The opposition leader’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the team had no confirmation yet.' (AP)
Thank you for standing up to the ideal of Democracy! Thanks to the brave men and women who stand for freedom...true patriots....we need you during these strange times...men and women of courage to keep the "light of freedom" burning brightly.
Thank you Heather for keeping the truth in front of us!!!
Not only did Navalny give his life but Yulia and children have sacrificed a loving husband and father for the ideal of freedom. For years they surrendered him to a cause beyond themselves....to a cause they believed in with husband and father.
While Navalny suffered, so did each one of his family members.
Many of us are too involved in lesser things....listen to others rather than wisely establish our own opinions through honest observation within VARIOUS venues. Many of us would rather be cowards, look the other way, forgetting the young men and women who have sacrificed their lives for the ideal of freedom.
Navalny's life must not be forgotten. We must find a way to continue fighting for freedom.....for the love, respect and value of each and all.
Thank you, Fern. I got (somewhat gently) taken to task yesterday when I posted a simple “I had not heard Nevalny died”. I had just learned of it, but had not gotten further information. I was pretty sure he had been murdered, but had not seen official reports.
Thank you for this information. Rest in power, Alexi. May we have your courage as we go forward.
Thank you, Fern, for filling in the details. Alexei Navalny was one of the greatest and most courageous persons of our lifetimes. I hope his life and death will bring freedom to his beloved country.
Biden calling anyone else a thug needs to look in a mirror. How many? 30 or 40 THOUSAND dead in Palestine, whose families were violently forced from their OWN HOMES and LAND in 1948.
I DO think we could have been tougher with "Bibi" earlier. The horrors of Gaza should not be downplayed. But they are a distraction from the fact that Israel is threatened with non-existence from more than Hamas. The Hezbollah in the north are threatening as well. Iran is dedicated to it - employing the Houthis as well.
Biden can't dictate to Bibi. But we are threading a needle here. The situation is complex beyond words. I too think the destruction of Gaza is beyond awful. But I have yet to hear anyone come up with a plan, a strategy to eliminate Hamas who have only one mission: destroy the state of Israel and every Jew in it.
Israel's neighbor Egypt is building a wall along the border with Gaza. Why? Because they fear Hamas.
Israel is using our money and weapons to destroy Palestine and its people. Nethu supported Hamas just so he could avoid two states. They are using this as an excuse to clear this little bit of land that they have let the Palestinians keep, of what was all theirs, so they can take the land and the natural gas resources. They do whatever they want because the US is fully compromised by AIPAC and because we all were horrified by the Holocaust. The State has proven to be no better than the Nazis were to their parents. They want you to think it's complicated. It's not. It's propaganda. We need to stop funding their atrocities.
Who do you think is paying for this and sending planeloads of weapons? I guess it's cool because it supports our arms industry and, as one pro-Israel person told me, it's a perfect testing ground for new weapons. The fact is our whole government and many of our citizens are compromised by AIPAC and the dire threat of so-called anti-Semitism thrown at anyone who dares to show sympathy for the Palestinians. This massive McCarthyesque effort to bring down sympathizers is an assault on free speech. The attacks on Harvard are particularly egregious. The claims of mass anti-Semitism are just about people who hate this genocide and see it clearly for what it is.
Please tell me what the president should do that would stop Netanyahu from his war on Gaza? What authority over Netanyahu do you think the president has?
Why is "cutting aid" seen as a simple solution to an intractable problem that has gone on for generations? Why do we think there ARE simple solutions to this conflict?
Cut all weapons and money to this genocidal state. We should not be supporting the literal razing of Gaza and Rafah and extermination of its people. Get close-ups on Instagram, if that would make it real to you. Have you no heart at all?
Why do you think I'm heartless because I don't believe simplistic solutions will work here, and that Biden is doing about the best he can to contain this conflict???
What will likely happen if we cut off all aid to Israel? Bibi will see it as a green light to be completely unrestrained, and worse than we have seen will likely ensue. Further, a completely unrestrained Israel will very likely draw Iran into the conflict, and maybe Russia too if they still have forces that aren't committed to the slaughter in Ukraine. Then we will see a real regional bloodbath, and the suffering of the people of Gaza will be forgotten.
Diplomacy is messy. We don't know all the things Biden's diplomatic team are doing to try and contain the conflict and even give Israeli authorities some aid that will help them talk some sense into Netanyahu.
So let's give Biden a wand from the Harry Potter universe with which he can summon a shield charm to protect the people of Gaza. Sometimes I think the people who are attacking Biden for his diplomacy and blaming him for the slaughter are looking for just such a magical solution.
You have to be kidding. We are financing and sending planeloads of arms to them. They have said they couldn't do it without us. We send them billions of our tax dollars that we need here. Cut them off.
Any and Lisa and Fern-I completely agree. And Don I get that it’s complicated, many moons of complication. Our country should not be aiding and abetting a dictator.
Let's cut off all aid to Israel and see what happens, then. See what a completely unrestrained Israel will do. See what happens when Iran gets involved.
HCR would slickly lead us to assume, without a shred of evidence, that Putin murdered Navalny. Making political hay of this propaganda point, she writes: "The death of Navalny at just this moment appears to tie the Republicans to Putin’s murderous regime."
By way of contrast, Korybko writes on Substack:
"Putin Had No Reason To Kill Navalny But The West Has Every Reason To Lie That He Did"
Full List of Putin Critics Who Have Died in Mysterious Circumstances
Published Feb 16, 2024 at 11:02 AM EST
Alexei Navalny
Age: 47
Date of Death: February 16, 2024
Cause of Death: Alexei Navalny died in prison. The Russian prison service reported that he felt unwell after a walk and lost consciousness.
Biography: Alexei Navalny was a prominent critic of Vladimir Putin. He gained global attention in 2020 when he survived a poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny willingly returned to Russia from Germany in 2021, where he had received treatment for the previous poisoning. Upon his return, he was promptly arrested. Navalny was known for exposing corruption, investigating Putin's inner circle, and leading anti-Kremlin opposition movements. His death is likely to be seen by fellow opposition members as a political assassination attributable to Putin, but is as yet unexplained.
Mikhail Lesin
Age: 57
Date of Death: November 5, 2015
Cause of Death: Mikhail Lesin was a former Russian press minister and media executive. He fell out of favor with Putin and faced scrutiny for his wealth. Lesin was found dead in a Washington, D.C. hotel room. The official cause of death was ruled as accidental blunt force injuries, but questions persist about the circumstances.
Boris Nemtsov
Age: 55
Date of Death: February 27, 2015
Cause of Death: Boris Nemtsov was shot dead on a bridge near the Kremlin. His murder remains unsolved, but many believe it was politically motivated. Nemtsov was a vocal critic of Putin's government, advocating for democracy, human rights, and transparency. He served as a deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin and later became a prominent opposition figure.
Boris Berezovsky
Age: 67
Date of Death: March 23, 2013
Cause of Death: Boris Berezovsky was a wealthy businessman, oligarch, and former ally of Putin. However, he became a vocal critic and fled to the U.K. Berezovsky was found dead in his home in Berkshire, England. The official cause of death was ruled as suicide, but suspicions remain due to his high-profile opposition activities.
Sergei Magnitsky
Age: 37
Date of Death: November 16, 2009
Cause of Death: Sergei Magnitsky was a lawyer and auditor who exposed a massive tax fraud scheme involving Russian officials. He was arrested, imprisoned, and denied medical treatment. Magnitsky died in custody following severe beatings and medical neglect. His death led to the passing of the Magnitsky Act in the United States, which sanctions Russian officials involved in human rights abuses and corruption.
Stanislav Markelov
Age: 34
Date of Death: January 19, 2009
Cause of Death: Stanislav Markelov was a human rights lawyer and journalist. He was assassinated in Moscow by a gunman who also killed journalist Anastasia Baburova. Markelov had represented victims of human rights abuses and criticized the Russian government's actions in Chechnya. His death raised concerns about the safety of those opposing the regime.
Anastasia Baburova
Age: 25
Date of Death: January 19, 2009
Cause of Death: Anastasia Baburova, a journalist and activist, was shot dead alongside human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov in Moscow. She had reported on neo-Nazi groups and political violence. Her murder remains unsolved, but it is believed to be connected to her activism.
Natalia Estemirova
Age: 50
Date of Death: July 15, 2009
Cause of Death: Natalia Estemirova, a human rights activist and journalist, was abducted in Grozny, Chechnya, and found dead later that day. She had documented human rights violations in Chechnya and criticized the government. Her murder remains unsolved, but it is widely believed to be connected to her activism and criticism of the Chechen authorities.
Anna Politkovskaya
Age: 48
Date of Death: October 7, 2006
Cause of Death: Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist, was shot dead in her apartment building in Moscow. She had reported extensively on human rights abuses, corruption, and the war in Chechnya. Her work was critical of Putin's government, and her murder sparked international outrage. Despite investigations, the masterminds behind her killing have not been brought to justice.
Yuri Shchekochikhin
Age: 53
Date of Death: July 3, 2003
Cause of Death: Yuri Shchekochikhin was a journalist, writer, and member of the Russian State Duma. He investigated corruption, organized crime, and human rights abuses. Shchekochikhin suddenly fell ill and died from an unknown cause. Some suspect poisoning, but the circumstances remain unclear.
John, will all due respect: history shows us that P is a murderer. Of course he didn’t kill his foe personally. And I am sad that the food man returned to Russia for his own sake
And then there's the list of people who suddenly died when they were about to testify against Bill and Hillary Clinton (interspersed in a much longer list of suspicious deaths):
John, unless you actually believe that Mr. Navalny was an American agent as Mr Korybko alleges, you must see his article as blatantly pro Putin. And Mr Korybko somehow avoids the question of why Mr. Navalny was in prison in the first place. I assume it wasn't for stealing someone's lunch money, but rather that he was protesting Mr. Putin's policies. Of course such protest isn't either wise or safe in Mr. Putin's domain. I don't see that you can really suppose this article is other than propaganda of the most obvious sort. In a regime, which like most of an authoritarian bent looks rather unfavorably (a distinct understatement) on protesters, Mr. Navalny's death is certainly suspicious.
James, the supposition in your first sentence doesn't work. I am open to the poosibility that Navalny was an American agent or asset. I also see Korybko's article as having a clear pro-Russian bias, counterbalancing HCR's anti-Russian bias.
I agree that Mr. Navalny 's death is suspicious.
Possible causes:
1. Putin ordered that he be liquidated.
2. Somebody else in the Russian hierarchy ordered the death.
3. Somebody at his prison had a personal reason to get rid of Navalny.
4. He died of natural causes, such as a vaccine-related blood clot.
5. It was a "false flag" murder, designed to make trouble for Putin and Russia.
I'm disinclined to see Navalny as a US asset, A look at his record makes me believe he was the kind of crusader who, while I'm sure US intelligence would have loved to assist him, would likely have seen their support as a corrupting dilution of his mission. I feel he was acting entirely on his own. Such men are rarer than the other kind, but they do exist, and Navalny strikes me as one of them.
As to his death, given the state of Russian prisons - not exactly dachas on the Black Sea, natural causes could well be responsible. Yet Putin must have known that his death would cause an international outcry, which he can ill-afford at this point, so I'd be surprised if, while he certainly wanted the man out of his hair, he also wanted sufficient care taken to prevent this kind of brouhaha.
Yet Putin has also shown a willingness to use his intelligence community to attempt to kill those who oppose him, even outside of Russia, so I certainly don't discount direct orders from him, with the caveat that he would prefer it look like natural causes, an accident, or perhaps medication that went wrong.
'Falsh flag?" Certainly a possibility. Clearly there is opposition to Putin within Russia, and they would have known all too well that such action at this time would cause an international outcry and that it would almost certainly be blamed on Putin. Yet within the isolated conditions of the prison where it happened, it ought to be all too easy for Putin to discover who was directly responsible if he suspected it. I don't doubt he has an excellent surveillance operation keeping an eye on anyone even remotely suspected of opposing views. They would know that.
So where does that leave us? As with so many such issues, I doubt we'll ever know for sure.
Or he's just trying to Make Russia Great Again. Once again with Occam's razor. As I noted earlier, this is just the kind of ambition that authoritarians often manifest. We've gotten two world wars that way. I rather hope we don't get a third.
When you say "Putin has shown his willingness to use his intelligence community..." you appear to imply that (1) members of the Russian intelligence community are unlikely to act autonomously or "go rogue," and (2) whoever acted in a way that we presume Putin ordered wasn't suborned by the British (not the Americans). I see no reason to buy either supposition.
I can imagine a cloak-and-daggar story where, years ago, Navalny refused to become a British double agent, so the British poisoned him to make it look like Putin did it. And then somebody bribed a prison guard to let in a care package with special treats for Navalny that poisoned him, so they could discredit Putin in the upcoming election.
I have no reason to believe any of that happened, it's just my imagination.
And one day he is being talked to by a judge, seen even laughing per the Kremlin and the next day dead? This is after being poisoned several years ago by the Kremlin……exactly where and who tells them what to do…..Putin!
It really does come down to a stark difference in base values and what people look for in a leadership figure.
Most very conservative people put a high value on authority and hierarchy, so their idea of a leadership figure is an authority figure. They find comfort and admiration in the idea that someone could quell the elements of society they find threatening. In this system, leadership means domination, hard power of demanded respect and loyalty, and the person who has the most leadership potential is the person who can most ruthlessly and completely dominate the opposition, creating a "safe" and orderly society where differences are kept out of the picture. So, violent suppression? Gotta do what you gotta do.
Most liberal people do not value authority or hierarchy at all, and put all their value on care and fairness, so their idea of a leadership figure is a nurturing role model. They find comfort and admiration in the idea that someone could bring people together to make an ever-more-colorful family. In this system, leadership means listening, soft power of earned respect and loyalty, and the person who has the most leadership potential is the person who can most likely bring together different perspectives by finding common ground and leading by example, creating a safe society where differences are celebrated as an opportunity for unique perspective and growth. Why attack? We're all good here!
Labeling Republicans as conservatives is a misnomer. They are regressives wanted to roll back any progress made to help the poor and promoting equality of all people. I prefer to think of them as repressive regressives whereas liberals tend to be more progressive and promoting the equality of all people not just white men.
Is that what Tucker Carlson would do? Or would he execute on behalf of his boss? No, wait, his boss isn't the boss. OK, he must have had some comprehensive cups of tea with Putin.
Putin criticizes Tucker's poor interviewing skills. Read on for his review.
'Tucker Carlson’s Lesson in the Perils of Giving Airtime to an Autocrat'
'The death of Aleksei Navalny, the Kremlin’s most vocal domestic opponent, prompted fresh criticism on Friday of the right-wing host’s recent interview with Vladimir Putin.'
By Jim Rutenberg and Michael M. Grynbaum (NYTimes)
'Tucker Carlson left Moscow more than a week ago, riding high from an interview with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that returned him to the spotlight after his abrupt cancellation by Fox News last spring.'
'But the interview with the wartime autocrat, mocked in various corners of the political-media world for its soft touch, continues to have a long and tortured afterlife — becoming a trending topic all over again on Friday after Mr. Putin’s most vocal domestic opponent, Aleksei A. Navalny, turned up dead in a Russian prison.'
“This is what Putin’s Russia is, @TuckerCarlson,” 'Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman from Wyoming, wrote on X after the news of Mr. Navalny’s death broke on Friday.' “And you are Putin’s useful idiot.”
'Naomi Biden, President Biden’s granddaughter, also weighed in, pointing to a video that Mr. Carlson had recently posted in which he contrasted the supposed splendors of Russia under Mr. Putin’s leadership with the “filth and crime” of the United States. “Has anything aged so poorly, so quickly before?” Ms. Biden wrote on X.'
'In a statement to The New York Times on Friday, Mr. Carlson said': “It’s horrifying what happened to Navalny. The whole thing is barbaric and awful. No decent person would defend it.”
'The comment represented a notable change in tone from earlier this week, when he appeared to offer a blasé opinion regarding Russia’s treatment of Mr. Navalny, who was first imprisoned three years ago on charges of corruption and “extremism” that the United States called baseless.'
'Asked at a conference in Dubai on Monday why he had not questioned Mr. Putin about Russia’s free speech crackdown, Mr. Navalny’s jailing or suspected political assassinations, Mr. Carlson said those were “the things that every other American media outlet talks about.” '(Mr. Carlson was, in fact, the first Western media figure to interview Mr. Putin in more than two years.)'
'But, Mr. Carlson said then, “leadership requires killing people — sorry, that’s why I wouldn’t want to be a leader” — comments that came under still more criticism after Mr. Navalny’s death.'
'Mr. Carlson said in a statement on Friday that his remarks about leadership' “had zero” to do with Mr. Navalny. “I wasn’t referring to him, which is obvious in context. I’m totally opposed to killing.'
'Though Mr. Carlson did press Mr. Putin during the interview on Russia’s detention of the Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich, he sat silent for long stretches as Mr. Putin conducted a history lecture that provided a one-sided and often false narrative about Ukraine.'
'Mr. Carlson’s fans and supporters on X portrayed criticism of his interview as sour grapes from mainstream journalists who did not get to interview Mr. Putin themselves.'
'But on Wednesday, a new pundit joined the chorus of those who said Mr. Carlson had gone too easily on Mr. Putin — Mr. Putin himself.'
'Speaking with a state television host, Mr. Putin said he was disappointed that Mr. Carlson had not asked “so-called sharp questions” because he wanted the opportunity to “respond sharply” in his own answers.'
“He turned out to be patient and listened to my lengthy dialogues, especially those related to history, and didn’t give me reason to do what I was ready for,”' Mr. Putin said. '“So, frankly, I didn’t get complete satisfaction from this interview.”
'Justin Wells, one of Mr. Carlson’s top producers, responded on Friday that viewers should' “judge for themselves.”
'Mr. Putin’s mockery of Mr. Carlson came as the former Fox host was basking in the aftermath of his interview by offering a steady stream of praise for Russia and Mr. Putin, whose leadership he has extolled as superior to Mr. Biden’s.'
'On Wednesday, Mr. Carlson posted a short video recorded at a Russian grocery store, saying its selection and prices offered an example of Russia’s superiority over the United States, which he described as rife with' “filth and crime and inflation.”
“Coming to a Russian grocery store, the heart of evil, and seeing what things cost and how people live, it will radicalize you against our leaders,” 'he said in the video'. “That’s how I feel, anyway — radicalized.”
'(Russia has more than twice the rate of inflation as the United States, and its citizens spend a higher percentage of their household budgets on groceries.)'
'The video drew a bipartisan rebuke: from Naomi Biden and, before her, Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina.'
'As a polemicist who has long dabbled in pro-Russia narratives and now relies on subscriptions from those drawn to just such content, Mr. Carlson operates in a sphere where the criticism he has received this week could be a catalyst for still more support.'
“He’s just measured by an entirely different yardstick,” 'said Nicole R. Hemmer, an associate professor of history at Vanderbilt University who studies conservative media.' “Tucker under attack is great for Tucker.” (NYTimes) Copied in full.
One thinks he's immortal and seems to have hair envy. The other thinks he's an influencer and needs a job in television. Yes, that's the start of a couple.
Early in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were some stories about Russian soldiers looting Ukrainian homes and stores. The Russians marveled at how much wealthier the average Ukrainian homes they pillaged were vs their own.
The North Koreans pulled the same grocery store propaganda years ago, going into a beautiful well stocked grocery store which was just a prop for propaganda.
Tucker is a sucker. Unfortunately, he owns a home in ME, so I know exactly how the grocery stores are stocked where he lives. I'm guessing he's never stepped foot in a grocery store anywhere, because he's a misogynist pig and considers that to be "women's work."
I wonder how long Carlson has before Putin decides he's no longer a 'useful idiot'. If I were him, I would not be staying in hotels on the upper floors.
No. Fortunately, or unfortunately, that interview came from Dubai, so he's on his way back to the Land of the Free. Unless he's calling in on Bibi while he's visiting friends.
Many faux-Christian nationalists consider Jesus a liberal and they ignore his words of compassion and forgiveness. God and Country is coming to Apple in March and may be in theaters now (I'm not sure). For the record, I think Jesus was a liberal, but that's a good thing.
Well…except Tuckums is just about the most unchristian person there is. He follows none of Christ’s teachings to be kind of the least among you, feed the hungry, help the poor, clothe the naked, etc.
To me, so much of what I like to think of as "strength" is the ability to pick yourself up and adapt when what you thought you knew about yourself or your world was shattered. I think we are testing the strength of our country and ourselves as citizens en mass these past eight years. As the professor illustrates so consistently, most of the American identity is based around competing stories and mythos. Humans are storytellers; we use narrative to organize and give meaning, to make the complex make sense.
For most of us on these pages, the (un-popular) election of tfg was a complete shattering of the simple and comforting story that so many of us had told ourselves about our country: that progress was inevitable, that everyone believes in our basic values, that *it can't happen here.* We were traumatized and have been unable so far to heal. It is no hyperbole to say so, and don't let anyone tell you that it is. Our sense of safety in the place we live was revoked by the same people we live with, writ large. What we knew was gone, and what was revealed to be real was terrifying. That is trauma.
What did we do? If you read these Letters, that means you decided to get up, and get up fast. You didn't lick your wounds and mourn the story you lost, you looked the truth in the face, realized you never had the whole picture... and went looking for it. You decided that what was there was still worth saving, and realized you couldn't save it - save yourself and what you love - if you got bitter or gave in to denial. You reached out to find others who felt the same, either in real life or across the new frontier of the internet. You GREW.
You got stronger. WE got stronger. And then we started winning.
Don't fear this man, and don't fear his followers. Pity them. When presented with a demagogue, someone who could channel their repressed trauma and fears out onto their neighbors, they didn't have the *real* strength to turn away. They gave in to the cheap thrill of demagoguery, the thrill of seeing someone be as awful and ugly and angry as they wished they could be without consequences. They were not strong enough to build themselves up, so they gave themselves over to someone else's specious displays of phony macho aggression, someone else's promise of "strength". Now their time to realize their story was flawed has come. Their new God-emperor is simply the emperor-with-no-clothes: a fraud in every sense. Do they have the strength we had and have? They do not. They will deny reality because they cannot face it. Because they cannot admit that they were fooled - that they have lost - they will continue to be fooled. They will, most likely, continue losing. How sad for them!
Just because someone seems like they keep getting away with things, does not mean justice will not come. But it will only come if you have the real strength to be honest, resilient, and persistent, to keep the faith and grow. I am so happy to know all of you are out there. And to know that today, even if I don't have 350 million dollars, at least a monster will soon have 350 million dollars less. So satisfying!
What a letter! I can only balance Tucker Carlson's "Every leader kills people" with Navalny's "We don't realize how strong we are." And brava to Vice President Harris's full-throated defense of global engagement and the Biden Administration's support for Ukraine. Let's hope more Americans can identify the real victims here—certainly not the Trumps.
I am nervous that those words from Carlson could grow into a roadmap for the desperate and despicable magas if they win. Is that what our future holds? Don’t challenge us or we kill you? Such dangerous language.
Navalny was a brilliant, courageous man. He should be remembered the world over for his sacrifice.
I think we need to acknowledge Navalny's death was no accident. Whether planned or hoped for, he was placed in a position where death was imminent.
This is the future trump (forgive me, I just can't capitalize his name) sees as his right; death to his opposition.
Putin holds his country in a tight hand, squeezing out all opposition to his rule while claiming his love of country. His people are mostly ignorant of the world, but his war with Ukraine is changing that. That is a crack in his armor. It is to our shame that our Republican party is rushing in to spackle that crack when they should be pointing it out as another reason dictatorship isn't good for a society.
I'm going to be completely open here. All I have is a Masters in Comparative Religion. I'm not learned in law in any way. I really don't understand politics, but I do know right from wrong.
The current Right Wing political system is so wrong that anyone who isn't intentionally blinded can see it.
Sadly, those who intentionally choose to see otherwise are beyond reason or help.
I have no idea how to engage on any level with these people.
I've tried.
I've heard conspiracy theories.
I've heard Fox News claims.
I've been literally hit (slapped) for suggesting they've been conned.
I've had my life threatened.
All of this over political differences while being told the Left is the violent party.
Ironically, Ricia, your Masters in Religion is probably more useful at this juncture to understanding American politics than an actual political sci degree would be. Much of it is religious cultism at this point.
I am sorry you have had such threatening experiences. We need to get to a place in this country where such experiences are too rare to count. I have been shouted at many times in public, even in my blue district, by red-hatters displeased with my non-profane clothing or memorabilia expressing a contrary stance. It only made me more determined and obstinate, but really it made me wonder: who DO these people think they are? Are they truly that triggered by the mere hint that they do not totally own the place like they seem to think they do? Maddening.
These people have been totally brainwashed by Fox News. It's like they are living in a completely different universe, and they wonder why WE can't see what they see.
That is a fantastic article, and explains the foundational differences between a liberal or conservative predisposition. What it does not address is how MAGA has become a “conservative” cult; for that we need to look at the indoctrination techniques that have been put into play, led by faux noise.
Only as it regards a third of the numbers of the coalition that are christian taliban Will. Do Not disregard that the current gop has been overwhelmed by a tripartite coalition of useful idiots of kindred minds on some levels; Christian Taliban or fakers of the same, Chamber of Commerce religiosity, Power and control freaks; plus the more or less innocent, 'always vote R' crowd - followers, sheeple types. But the big 3 stand alone as the one's who've taken over a once honorable party, and the 'sheeple' are in denial on many levels, like addicts; my feeling is they can't help themselves and deserve patient, fact based education and understanding. Think about this for more than a passing moment and I think you'll see where the funding comes from and the fervency. Another huge component I should have added are adversaries of the U.S. and trust me, they are the fourth column. I've caught them and followed them 'home' so to speak digitally with some specialized skills, equipment, etc. - I dare not say more as I've been retaliated against for my funny shenanigans, as far back as 2015 or '16 - personally. jmho.... *edit - One always needs to keep in mind that trolls with bad intents cruise and gather data on this letter. They aren't always who you might suspect - they mostly gather data without engaging us, here and elsewhere.
Ricia, I am so with you on this . I am so tired of trying to present the truth to my MAGA friends & family. Giving it one more try this past week, I am now giving up. Soon I will be 77, am a widow and retired RN with a BS degree. HCR says to take up oxygen in the room, speak up and speak out. Well, I have no more to give….
It's been 'wrong' for longer than you know then Ricia. Dems pretty much just it go on. It all went into high gear so to speak in '71 following the Powell memo, which was a 'call to arms' for corporate commerce industries in western democracies. This is not BS, nor histrionics of any sort. I've been watching from the inside since the '70's and have seen it all slowly unwind in real time. See > https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/08/lewis-powell-memo-chamber-commerce.html
Perfect transition ~ “Navalny attacked the Putin regime by calling attention to its extraordinary corruption, and somewhat fittingly, the corruption of former president Donald Trump, who won the White House with Putin’s help, was also on the docket today.”
I don't make deals for the money. I've got enough, much more than I'll ever need. I do it to do it. __Donald Trump
King of the MAGAs , ‘…Donald J. Trump was penalized $355 million, plus millions more in interest, and banned for three years from serving in any top roles at a New York company, including his own, in a ruling on Friday by Justice Arthur F. Engoron. The decision comes after the state Attorney General Letitia James sued Mr. Trump, members of his family and his company in 2022. (NYTimes)
'‘Trump Fraud Trial Penalty Will Exceed $450 Million’
‘The ruling in Donald J. Trump’s civil fraud case could cost him all his available cash. The judge said that the former president’s “complete lack of contrition” bordered on pathological.’ (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
‘Trump Organization's History of Corporate Malfeasance’
‘In considering the need for ongoing injunctive relief, this Court is mindful that this action is not the first time the Trump Organization or its related entities has been found to have engaged in corporate malfeasance. Of course, the more evidence there is of defendants ongoing propensity to engage in fraud, the more need there is for the Court to impose stricter injunctive relief. This is not defendants first rodeo.’ (Civil Fraud Ruling, excerpt)
‘As Eric Trump testified, Donald Trump sat at the top of the pyramid of the Trump Organization until 2017. Donald Trump professed to know more about real estate than other people and to be more expert than anybody else. TT3487. He repeatedly falsified business records with the intent to defraud. See People v Gordon,23 NY3d643,650(2014) (Intent may be established by the defendant's conduct and the circumstances) People v Rodriguez, 17NY3d486,489 (Because intent is an invisible operation of the mind direct evidence is rarely available (in the absence of an admission) and it is unnecessary when there is legally sufficient circumstantial evidence of intent, “noting that intent can also be inferred from the defendant's conduct and the surrounding circumstances.)’ (Civil Fraud Ruling, excerpt)
'What the Civil Fraud Ruling Means for Trump’s Finances and His Empire'
'Justice Arthur F. Engoron’s decision could drain all of former President Donald J. Trump’s cash, and will set his family business reeling. ' (NYtimes) See gifted link below.
Putin must have “Kompromat” on Trump and perhaps worse than the Steele Dossier. The fact that the GOP has remained silent on Alexey Navalny is beyond hideous. He speaks not only to the Russian people but to all people including us in the USA. Never would I believe a rapist, a philanderer, a liar, a cheat, a racist, a misogynist and traitor be supported by 40% of the country. This says something about the citizens of the United States. How can we be leaders and face the future if we inhabit a swamp of lies and misinformation.
however many they are, this is the most difficult and tragic question; are they suffering from mass delusion? Are they innocent victims of mass disinformation? Are they simply immoral, amoral, selfish and short-sighted? How and when did conservative values morph into evil?
Interesting question. I have watched the downward spiral of many of my friends as they have morphed from reasonable people to rabid MAGA followers. The disinformation and propaganda has turned off their ability to even consider another point of view.
I cannot for the life of me figure out how many of them have come to believe that Russia is now a favorable ally and government. They (most of them) are Vietnam and Cold War Veterans.
It seems that the Democrats are supportive of pay raises for the military and reforms to the VA. Am I mistaken?
I. have several friends who are ex-military and use the VA for their medical care. They complain about the VA and blame the Democrats for the issues with their health-care.
Christopher, he may be supported in 40% of the land -but a lot of that land is filled with jack rabbits (hares) and coyotes, farmland and tractors, forests and deer. By people? tops 30% . There are a lot of people, who mesmerized by the dishonest mainstream media, are fed-up and dislike both contestants for the Presidency. With the help of the electoral college that could throw the race to trump and end our 'Great Experiment in Democracy'
The 40% you mention were given complete license to do whatever they wanted to women and POC from 1776 to 1965. And although federal laws are in now in place against rape, persecution in the workplace of women and POC, and corruption in business, rich white supremacist men rule the upper financial sectors of this country. And therefore rule those in leadership in this country.
Putin killed Navalny on the day the conference began aimed at ridding the world of Putin:
I wrote in 2021: "Only once in a generation does a leader come along -- like Gandhi or Mandela or Martin Luther King Jr. -- who puts his life on the line against tyranny. Navalny, only 44, has been cheating death at the hands of the Kremlin for years. He has been jailed, partially blinded, assaulted, released from jail after mass protests in 2013, then poisoned this summer, and jailed again month. The Russian “street” is still no match for Putin’s army of helmeted riot police or snowballs for bullets. This means that all the world can do is bear witness. And must. Navalny’s cause was just and his selflessness extraordinary.
It was noble … so suicidal, so Russian, so magnificent."
Diane, Navalny will become a hero in Russian lore…..Putin’s name will become a stain in its history. I saw an interview on MSNBC, Chris Hayes I think, speaking with someone who (my words) thought of Navalny as almost superhuman for surviving so many attempts on his life, only to emerge seemingly stronger, and was thus almost in disbelief that he didn’t this time.
Navalny is a martyr as you say, but everyday several hundred Russians soldiers are cannon fodder murdered by Putin but killed by Ukrainians. Most of them will die as unknown soldiers from the lowest private to the generals.
Most of us view them as the enemy and Navalny as a hero.
Gary, agree…such an indifference to the worth of his citizens to throw their lives away in pursuit of an egomaniacal vision. As I understand it, most of the conscripts come from ethnic groups w/in Russia, mostly in rural areas & generally far from major cities.
Yay! Kudos! Brava! Kamala. Now come home and shout it all here. We don't need an alliance of two criminals, Putin and Trump. We don't need their vituperative morons in Congress and the Supreme Court either.
Trump can't even run his Potemkin village of a business properly, and continues to be revealed as a fraud ( now proven in Court in a costly judgment.) He mustn't be be given the opportunity again to run this country.
It's been pointed out by others that he doesn't have the liquidity to pay off his more than a half billion dollars in fines, compensation to E. Jean Caroll, etc. -- not to mention other outstanding court actions as well as the ongoing IRS audit which may make him liable for another $100 million plus interest. Where will he get this money? There are heads of state around the world that would gladly be willing to conduct more business with him: money in exchange for information. And that's a horrifying thought.
EDIT: I just read that, assuming he's still around and becomes the Republican nominee, trompy will start receiving TOP SECRET intelligence briefings *in less than 6 months*. I bet the buyers are lined up with wrist bands.
Doug, that’s the scariest fact of today: Trump being given Top Secret papers because he is candidate for our highest office. We’re running out of time to stop the madness.
In the 1990s, when things got too hot in the USA for KKK Grand Wizard and GOP gadfly David Duke, he went for an homage to Hitler stay in Germany. When things got too hot in Germany, he moved to Russia, met Putin, and began touting him as the Great White Hope for Christian Nationalism. It has taken Charles Koch bagman and Catholic extremist Leonard Leo decades of Federalist Society, and now The Teneo Network, perversions of government to repurpose the American democratic republic as a clerical fascist state - from the top down - through his Supreme Court cronies and now through his legislative MiniMe Mike Johnson. Who's been called David Duke Lite. Meanwhile David Duke has worked from the bottom up, converting the Republican racist right wing religious extremist base to the cult of Vlad the Savior. Way before they elevated Putin fanboy Trump as the apotheosis of Christ Rambo. Now, master of disinformation Putin, sensing their ties might hinder Trump outside the GOP hardcore, and returning the favor for Trump obstructing US aid to Ukraine and opening the door for Russian attacks on NATO allies, has seemed to put his blood soaked fist on the scale for Biden. Seemed. Actually as a way of smearing Biden to help elect Trump. But that's not how it's being played. And Russia for the first time since May has taken a Ukrainian stronghold.
Please contact: House Republicans to get back to Congress; House Democrats to get on board with a dispatch petition for the supplemental aid bill; and members of the House Progressive Caucus to support the dispatch petition and the supplemental aid bill (and put to the test the National Security Memorandum which can halt delivery of appropriated funds to the criminal Netanyahu regime.) That way we can get aid to where it is needed. Especially Ukraine and Gaza.
I grew up during the years of the Cold War and have never forgotten being taught that the goal of Russian Communists was world domination! They are still trying!
I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis from the vantage point of a 13 year old. JFK shared those frightening maps with arcs showing range of Russian missiles into US
$50,000,000 - Trump legal fees (so far)
$88,000,000 - Trump total jury verdict to E Jean Carroll
$96,000,000 - Trump interest addon from Judge Engoron
$148,000,000 - Giuliani settlement with Shae Moss
$355,000,000 - Trump fine from Judge Engoron
$787,500,000 - Fox settlement to Dominion
$1,524,500,000 - TOTAL
Over One and a Half Billion dollars.
Lying and other shenanigans is getting expensive these days.
I think His Honor also slapped on $96 mil in inteurest. We should be careful not to underestimate Little Donny’s worthlessness.
$96 million here, a few hundred million there. Pretty soon you are talking about real money.
My whole position is that if you are committing large-scale white collar crime, money is clearly the most important thing to you, so the fairest punishment and most effective dissuasion is not incarceration (though that too, please!) but an absolutely enormous Bucket O Fines. Every single penny you have made from your chicanery should be taken and returned to greater society. Being rich was just that important, huh? Congrats, you're poor now. Think twice.
My Grandma couldn't travel on her retirement like she wanted to her whole life because of those bastards from Enron, and the fact they were not made to spend the rest of their earthly days shuffling around Skid Row with their bread crusts hanging out the holes in their pockets is mind-boggling to me.
"The Enron Blues"
There was a place called Enron with sophisticated crooks
And lots of tasty recipes for cooking up the books
It all was rather shaky but they always had a fix
With handy off-shore partners and som neat accounting tricks...
When I was a baby my mom and dad both worked full time. This was in 1955 when it was uncommon for married women to work outside the home. One of our neighbors had a newborn, Mark Koenig, who eventually grew up to be the only person at Enron to serve prison time for their horrendous acts of fraud. My mom dropped me off at the Koenig's every day for over a year. 23 years later, when I bought my first house, I learned that my next door neighbor's two sons were in the Nebraska State Penitentiary for armed robbery.
To my knowledge, Mark and Ken were the only two of my 765 classmates to do time--one for blue collar crime and one for white collar crime.
In the late 1980s maybe early 1990s, Trump came to my hometown of Hartford. He wanted to build a casino here. A friend met him and she told me he sounded real smart. I looked at her and said, “You gotta be kidding.” I ever saw anything but ignorance in Trump. After our governor who teamed with our mayor and friend, Carrie Saxon Perry gave our native Indians exclusive casino rights, Trump was heard to exclaim, “They don’t look like Indians to me.”
thanks for that little bit of nitty gritty, Gary.
That is scary. Thank goodness that you survived their influence when you grew up.
at least they got caught. bad seed
When the subject is business fraud, it’s always good practice to mention business regulation. The radical Republicans want little to none, in order to put profits over people, no matter how much danger and pain it causes.
Coincidentally TFG’s only real policy is chaos, no matter how bad. As long as he is causing pain for someone else, his base is happy. It’s so strange and remarkable. I dont think the two have existed like this before in our history. It is not sustainable.
I think that's a mythology that needs a more critical look. Government is not in and of itself, a "problem" as government can be good or bad, but is never truly absent, even if of warlords in a failed state. Republicans appear to be paid to champion government by and for the wealthiest; a very old pattern. They actually want a very robust and intrusive government to favor and and bail out the wealthy and to keep a lid on you. They particularly want to keep a lid on marginalized people, e.g. SWAT team evictions, abortion bans, don't talk about slavery, don't say "gay", etc.
"Regulation" is just another word for "rules". There are always rules between persons, whether imposed cooperatively or by force. There are, even when unstated, rules for kids, rules between couples, strangers on the street. The Constitution is a set of rules defining boundaries of behavior. We set or observe boundaries in any human interaction, whether we think about it or not. Their can be conflict when those boundaries are not recognized, abused or ignored. Rights involve boundaries, especially if "unalienable".
“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”— Frank Wilhoit
An important element of the Republican amalgamation is small business owners, who stereotypically want less regulation as they strive to make a living and pay their handful of workers.
Good on you John!
Please don't encourage him.
😁👋
I'm diggin' your poetry John; And I say that sincerely. Why not just talk among us, as opposed to what you've been doing ? Who know's - there just may be some good folks hereabouts that might just be as smart and almighty, or nearly so.
If you want to know what I REALLY think...
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-16-2024/comment/49854368
I have a tiny bit to add to your Enron rant. Ken Lay supposedly croaked in Colorado at his place in aspen. I happened to be in the El Paso county coroners office when they were doing the inquiry into his death. The odd behavior of people I knew there makes me wonder who they actually had on the slab.
Don't cry for me Argentina. He was supposedly buying up water rights there.
Heart attack my arse. I think he took something to cause a heart attack but who knows. What is important is the deregulation that created space for fraud and obscene profits from a boring utility privation. Something similar in Russia created their Oligarchy.
The behavior made me quite convinced that Mr Lay was never anywhere near the coroners office. I knew these folks well.
"Missing person" stand ins are not hard to find
Fellow Coloradan here. I recall this happening, thanks for the reminder
“There are two justice systems in America, one for the wealthy and one for the rest of us” Will Rogers
Will knew who the thieves were
And, surprise; it is still so.
Agreed about Enron fraud. Too many investors in Enroll overlooked the golden rule of investment - never put your financial eggs in one big basket. You just never know.
I vaguely remember something about the 401k at enron being invested only in their stock as policy. Five alarm fire warning bells
Funny thing about fraud. Creates more fraud. Pretty soon everybody drinking the same kool aid, even the fraudsters at the top start believing their own lies and schemes.
Yep! Self-serving, behind the scenes, accounting fraud inflating revenues reducing liabilities, artificially inflating Enron's value on the stock exchanges.
That was just the employer contribution portion. At that time, that was common practice. In fact, at the bank I worked at for 40 years, you could only remove the employer contribution out of company stock after you hit 55. Those that worked there in the 2008-9 recession literally lost half their 401k balance.
Texas teachers learned the hard way.
Perhaps the California teachers have learned a thing or two also; their retirement system was highly invested in Russian gas, oil, coal sham companies - at least as I vaguely recall.
The Enron workers were required to invest their entire retirement plans into Enron:
And all those corporate workers, well they're just plain out of luck
With all their lifetime savings made of worthless Enron stock
They never saw it coming, boy and now they're hopping mad
But the bosses made their millions, see, and ain't that just too bad...
Will, you write: ". Every single penny you have made from your chicanery should be taken and returned to greater society." You are now talking about the American oligarchs who control the Republican party who have stripped more than $34 trillion out of the U.S. economy, starting with Reagan. It is tough fighting them when they use effective wedge issues (immigration, gay rights, abortion, etc.) to deceive the gullible.
I think they should have to pay every penny they made by cheating plus interest and penalties. Too often the fines are minuscule compared to the ill-gotten gains, so it can appear worthwhile to continue cheating. At a certain point: incarceration in a jail that is no country club!
I recall that at least one of the big banks that was under investigation in the subprime crash saw it stock shoot up when the "settlement" was announced, a "wet noodle" penalty. I was reading that companies whose employees die due to violating safety regulations are subject to minor fines for the infarction, even with a history of being out of compliance. I read of an individual that was convicted of murder (not manslaughter) because a trailer being towed lacked a safety chain, broke loose and killed someone, but corporations are "deregulated", thus can literally get away with murder. And stockholders pay the fines, while the perps walk.
"But it remains true that, at some institutions that engaged in inappropriate conduct before, and may yet again, the buck still stops nowhere. Responsibility remains so diffuse, and top executives so insulated, that any misconduct could again be considered more a symptom of the institution’s culture than a result of the willful actions of any single individual."
- Former Obama AG Eric Holder
I would love to see tfg and his family living in a tent in NYC. That is where they all belong.
Either that……..or wearing a skirt and hustling cigarettes for a cell/room mate named Bubba. I want to see the former guy wearing an orange outfit that matches his skin tone.
Not to mention subprime banksters.
I believe there is also a Guiliani equivalent suit against Trump for the insurrection by one of the Capital officers? Worth maybe north of 100m if it pans out. On the side IRS is looking into back taxes, and lord knows about penalties?
Why repubs are trying to kill IRS funding…
Jeri: all the Richie Rich oligarchs want to make sure the IRS never has enough staff to audit their taxes. That’s an ask they probably tie to all the recipients of their donor largess.
Repubs sure got the message
The lawyer who wrote our will (a few years back) said that the IRS was mostly busting the poor (over some income credit, and the poor are less likely to keep good records) because they can't afford to tackle the lawyered-up wealthy.
perverse: adds to gov coffers, but "from the rich".... ooops
J L Graham. I remember news people asking “How much of a judgment will make 45 stop defaming E. Jean Carroll?” Looks like $83 million is the magic number.
Dunno if he can hold it.
J L Graham, so far, so good! 3 weeks so far.
J L Graham, he broke during a rally in Michigan on Saturday. I wonder how many attacks it will take for E. Jean Carroll to haul him back into court.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/caileygleeson/2024/02/18/trump-lashes-out-about-legal-woes-in-michigan-speech-blasts-crooked-judge-swipes-again-at-carroll/amp/
I like this. I remember Sen. Everett Dirksen, too!
So do I!
😄
Everett had them pegged.
I have never underestimated his worthlessness and I've wondered for eight years why others do.
Because he is so appealing Pam. And as it becomes more and more clear….appealing this, appealing that, he now spends his life and those who bowed to him appealing…..this answer is credible , huh?
I like that- "appealing."
Appalling is the better word. :(
As Lawrence O'Donnell suggested last night, are the Saudi's or the UAE going to bail him out, or maybe some of the proceeds of the oil Russia sells as discount to them so they can then resell it to the west at international prices? Not sure I'm kidding on this one. Financial overseers of Trump's business going to have a close eye on this one? He can't borrow from any NY registered bank.
Trump apparently just made billions after Truth Social went public. He should now be able to post bail himself. I m so tired of iTrump, MTG, Jordan and the whole MAGA Gaga gang. Mike Johnson better put our House in order or vacate the chair to someone capable of bipartisan leadership. The MAGA fools are beyond useful idiots. They are so blinded by their sense of self importance that they have lost their sense of self preservation. We simply have to find a way of ridding ourselves of these parasites.
I have been waiting, they get worse
They do indeed. I long ago stopped trying to understand these folks. I simply want to get as far away from them as possible.
As I posted above, right now it's only billions on paper. He's unable to liquidate any of it. Not sure how long that situation will last.
By October it'll depend on what the markets have valued the company at. in 2023 Truth Social lost money.
called "doing business" in NY, I guess. If that's it, three years seems to be the magic length of time. Will likely work as collateral though??
Thank you. I don't understand how this works and I'll go read your comment right now.
The story sounds complicated. I would wait on this one.
Probably a good idea. Thanks.
I read an article regarding the merger of Truth Social & some other entity which would eventually give dumpty billions! Would give him a way to pay off his "debts". How depressing is that!
As noted in a classic study, Hitler had his "willing executioners," some of whom were well-educated professionals and captains of industry. Having college degrees and lots of money does not mean one is morally literate.
Seems like potential investors in Truth Social would take a lesson from the horrendous financial mess that is X/Twitter and avoid enriching Trump by avoiding the stock.
Some people have an intense desire to believe, not matter what.
It's only billions on paper right now. He's not able to sell any of the shares. I'm not sure it that will change in the future, or if so, when.
Hope it stays that way - he doesnt deserve to be "rescued"! Although I saw online that there is a GoFundMe to raise the money for him. Imagine!! Someone living on SS & giving money to this crook. Although, I guess thats been going on for some time.
TCinLA posted that.
For some reason missed it there!
VERY
Very.
He’s going to have to sell a big property. Forced sell. And the buyers know it is a forced sale, so done right they won’t have to make a premium offer.
Most of his properties are heavily leveraged, and currently office space is problematic because of the effects on that market caused by the pandemic. I'm not sure that selling even a large portion of his properties can save his sorry backside. Here's hoping.
Down market environment even more… Court forcing the sales. These two factors compound the interest of the buyer. Buyers market! Donnie is going to feel some real pain. Suck it Donnie!
I anxiously await his demise - literal or figurative. Somehow, I don't foresee Jared opening his Saudi purse to save him. My guess is that even our home-grown oligarchs are increasingly considering him too damaged to do him any favors.
Trumpty Dumpty bragged of his Wall*
But Trumpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All of his lawyers**, and a jury***of peers
Couldn’t save Trumpty from fines plus arrears.
He cries “It’s a witch hunt!” “I’m an innocent man.”
“Bias! Corruption!” Again and again.
He defames E. Jean Carroll, trash-talks each judge.
But documents prove that his numbers were fudged.
Maybe, just maybe, our nightmare will end.
At least there’s SOME comeuppance
For a few of his sins.
*Beautiful, Mexico will pay for it.”
**Where’s my Roy Cohn?”
***Two juries, two defamation cases.
Selling real estate in a down market with even more deflation pressure ( the court forcing the sale)… the buyers really have the upper hand. Like sharks in the water smelling blood. I believe this can cause a domino effect of unforeseen consequences, the selling of another property and another to cover losses, then to cover the short term cash flow problem the first forced sale. We shouldn’t underestimate the real potential for future exposure to a highly leveraged business. Then compound what the fines could be in Georgia and Flordia! I believe you have to click a box if you committed misdemeanors and felonies on a bank application right? But no US banks loan to the guy either. Soon the only revenue stream to maintain the racket will be to license his brand name to despots and oligarchs in their country’s. But, still and idiot but no longer useful and with sanctions in place…. Mr Orange is so f’ed!!!!
lol we can hope
It is nice to remember that DeLorean, a fraud on a smaller scale, spent his last years in a small condo in New Jersey, living on his Social Security.
He probably made it back fund raising last night.
hmmm.... not likely
Had not thought that he will continue his style of $$$ manipulative activities w his unscrupulous connections. Soooooo disturbing that his friends, Putin & gang, could finagle to get $$ to him. Although if he all of a sudden comes up with $$, the SHOULD make the monitors more than curious! we had 1 day of pleasure, back to business today!
To be honest, I'm not sure that foreign aid to Trump is really possible, he does need to put money down in bond to be held against the results of his appeal/s, which might just take a while. All that $$$ tied up til then. The longer that stretches on, interest to the tune of a million a week is added to the bill. Another 50 mil by xmas???
Maybe Leonard Leo’s pockets are big enough to bail out poor little rich chump who can lose money faster than the cretins can replace.
Maybe Elon Musk will respond to one of those ubiquitous internet messages and chip in a few hundred millions. For him, that is an insignificant amount.
One has to wonder about him selling his trove of stolen top secret documents. Easy to picture him fielding offers.
I hope this doesn’t come to pass. He needs to rot in the cage.
Yes, DJT represents the worst of the world!
...and most of that money comes from where? The MAGA faithful.
A fair amount was hoovered from the pockets of US taxpayers.
Trump is living off charity - MAGA’s flow of charity - until they see the light and shut it off.
Lorna, see at 5:34 minutes in on Jordan Klepper’s recent vid interviewing Haley/Trump supporters…shows a fellow who spent, it seems, more than he could afford to lose on Trumpy stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud3btbISggA. Just imagine the difference such “donations” could make to local food banks, or any number of “public good” endeavors. Sigh.
No one is mentioning Tim Mellon who financially backed Abbots string of wire. It was all right for Tim's Grandmother to come to this country from Ireland to marry Andrew Mellon. Tim had a rant about the Unpriviledge, how he would want to cut all their "hand outs" . Love Klepperer, and loved the video
The Trump family is from immigration too. Ireland and Germany. I think what we are witnessing from nearly all the MAGA crowd is racism. Disdain for "the other".
Plain and simple racism is all it has ever been
Nailed it! White, evangelical, theocratic nationalism.
Spent some time on Facebook with Steve Philips (How We Win the Civil War) and he thinks Democrats should be trying to win Black and brown voters rather than chasing independent white suburbans.
Ireland? If you’re thinking of his mother, she was from Scotland. Not sure who was from Ireland.
Swbv, it seems to be a case of “we got ours, fxxk you”.
But racists more likely than not deny being racists, but they will have a well-practiced rationalization to justify their anti "the other".
I am always amazed at the clownish junk many of those MAGA wear to these rallies.
Hope indeed!!! If one can change her/his mind AND WE HAVE GOOD MEDIA COVERAGE, more will follow. A great link… thanks… need to see this type of news.
Yes, that was pretty funny. MAGAts are dumb as rocks.
That video is unreal... I am so naive! some choice hilarious bits.
So many of these fascists are speechless when asked what he has done. The couple who says Mussolini is more like it as compared to Hitler! Really?!
Yeah, Jennifer, the cluelessness is gobsmacking. The whole shebang is foretold in the movie “Idiocracy”—never thought to see that movie play out in real life! Watched it again some months ago and it is not unlike a Klepper vid or Fox “news” segment.
"The couple who says Mussolini is more like it as compared to Hitler!" I do think he is more like Mussolini, and I think he has imitated Mussolini's posturing. But sure that the couple had no clue about who Mussolini was.
Klepper is good with those trumpsters and Niki supporters. Good questions without being too insincere.
Harvey, I think, even tho he’s been doing this awhile, that it still stuns him…sometimes you can hear a hint of incredulity in his voice/tone, but he never disrespects those he’s speaking with. Kinda like he’s trying to ferret out “how can this be?” at its source.
Barnum's law in action.
$60 million missing from his inauguration fund and $600 million missing from the RNC 2020 election fund. Neither of which was ever investigated.
Can you cite news story on the RNC missing $$$ please, very interested.
I heard somewhere that the RNC was at some point down to its last $87
Millions of dollars missing and not investigated, Mike?
Now you know why U.S. universities have more attending biz ed classes than any other (twice as many in biz ed as in all health sciences combined). Gotta learn the "skills" for sucking up to the billionaire criminal classes.
Here’s an article on the inauguration fund:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/donald-trump-and-the-case-of-the-107000000-629230/amp/
…it also comes from very wealthy Americans - oligarchs - who only care about lowering their taxes and ridding the country of regulations on business. Imagine no regulations on the food we eat and the water we drink!!
Also these oligarchs influence Congress in loosening pollution regulations, so let's include the land on which we live and the air we breathe.
Jamie Dimon is probably good for a few mil.
It is like a tithe or indulgences in the Middle Ages, and some folks seem weirdly are all too happy to pay.
I forgot about that theft from the church. Amazing what you can get people to do in this life by promising them glory in the after. Sadly, they've been brainwashed since childhood and will never know this is it.
You might also want to check out Dark Money, many thanks to enabling by right wing Scotus.... short thrift to democratic concepts of "one person one vote"...
"enabling by right wing Scotus"--the abominable trifecta: Buckley (1976), Bellotti (1978), Citizens United (2010). When the Democrats control The White House and Congress, legislation to overturn these decisions (perhaps requiring an end of the Senate filibuster) that destroyed over a century of political reform and legalized bribery should be of top priority. Include a reference to Article III, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution: "...the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make." and tell the Supreme Court: Hands off! This legislation is passed outside of your jurisdiction. Perhaps followed by the creation of a permanent Standing Committee for the ethical oversight of the Supreme Court and changing life-time tenure of the "Justices" to fifteen years. (Allowing a second term might encourage good behavior.)
Thanks, and Amen! Somehow a more neutral form of appointment; both conservatives and liberals run separate legal societies who run queues for future judicial federal judges. Maybe force these societies to work in tandem ... or something new...
This can't happen fast enough.
Dark Money was my lesson in corruption. I was dumbfounded reading that. In fact I want to read again because my memory is bad.
I doubt your memory is bad. I expect you just overloaded on trauma.
Wonder if the Saudi’s will pay his debts?
Not Saudi Arabia?
Right. It was pointed out yesterday on TV by a couple people that although trump may have trouble paying his fine, it's loose change for Bonesaw.
😡🤬
Plus the monies the Trump org has to pay for his sons, so add 8 mil there. We can also add in legal fees which are quite enormous. I have read that Trump is up to 50 mil in legal fees. It is an amount that a regular person just cannot imagine.
And you have to wonder if they expect to collect.
The lawyers all require a very large up front retainer. And when it has been used up they don't work until TFFG pays up again.
Well, he won't be getting any refunds.
Your comment made me LOL. Thanks for that.
Progwoman: legal fees have been paid by this PAC, the RNC and his donors. That’s probably the only way Trump gets lawyers.
There are also mandatory court costs (eg, ~8,000 pages of transcripts), plus the fees for the monitor and the compliance officer. Then there are the fees for the defense's expert witnesses who charged $950-1,400 per hour for hundreds of hours of work, and, last but not least , there's the little matter of the attorneys' fees. To the latter two groups I say good luck seeing a dime.
It will be interesting to see what happens to family harmony now that DJTJ and Eric each have been fined ~$4M as ill-gotten gains from the sale of the Old Post Office but sister Ivanka, can keep her $4M because of something called tolling.
...and don't forget all the bank overdraft fees he undoubtedly occurs!
Overdraftfees..? Those are only things mortals pay while shuffling an overdue credit card payment onto a new 'balance transfer' with no interest for 2 years, in order to avoid that 29% interest/usury charge. But, I suppose those paying $4500 per month apartment rental don't have too much of a problem paying for life's simple amenities. So, 29% is no big deal. Meanwhile, the flag waving #45 supporter living in a 12x70 rundown mobil home, who can only afford the most-basic "amenities" at best, will pay that overdraft fee, and the interest, and try their best not to default on that 2 year no interest creditcard loan (cause you know what that will mean 29%!!). Probably no factor for #45 et al.
I read the judgement and didn't see any mention of overdraft fees. Okay, I did scan a bit as there was no small amount of minutia.
Trump's lawyers have lawyers and if any of them get stiffed, they all quit until they are paid. TFFG has been using campaign funds to pay for some of his litigation and his sycophants have also been pitching in, but in the end you can bet the lawyers will get paid. He is screwed if he tries to stiff ANY of his lawyers. Of course, he could always opt to represent himself. /S
He’s using the RNC coffers and donors like he did the banks! He’s the consummate fraudster even as he is defending himself of fraud. What idiots these donors are! My god, the redeemer role has so much power over them.
Yeah. Representing himself has worked pretty well so far…. Informally, of course.🤓
One the reasons he hasn't been able to get A-list attorneys is that he has a long-standing reputation for not paying his attorneys for the 4,000 plus law suits he's been involved in -- many for not paying his bills! Smart Christopher Kise, who is a B+ guy (or was until the taint of Trump rubs off on him) demanded $3M upfront before he would agree to take the engagement.
Another issue is that most of the major and even minor law firms have conflicts of interest with Trump or Trump, Inc. so no one in the firm can represent him -- not that they would want to. Besides not paying his lawyers, who wants to admit they "tried" to represent Trump or worse that he stiffed them.
Yup. Then there's the little issue of him being THE worst client in the world! Megalomaniac narcissists and pathological liars do not the best clients make.
So true.
MisTBlu: I think DJT “fired” Ronna Romney McDaniel when she said she would cut off GOP funding for his legal fees. But there’s still the Trump PACs and his small donors. They have all been paying his lawyers. So that’s how he continues to squirm out of paying and still has representation.
The RNC is in dismal financial shape because of Trump. It will hurt campaigns this fall. Boo hoo.
LOL
McDaniel cut off RNC funding for Trump's legal bills when he announced his run for president, as she had promised. That's one of the reasons he wants her out. The RNC paid ~$2M on the theory that some of the suits were politically motivated.
That would be enough for The Don to go after her. Oh, and she’s a woman.
I doubt it has anything with her gender. Trump absolutely cannot handle anyone, male or female, who tells him no.
I would argue that there is a special place in Trump’s amygdala for uppity women.
Pardon me for being skeptical, but I doubt very much if Trump will pay anything at all in fines. He is a huge fraudster, but I doubt he’ll ever see the inside of a jail cell. Justice is a shaky concept in the USA. As Trump demonstrated with his presidential pardons of convicted criminals, lots of people are above the law in the USA.
Terry, this is a good read about what Trump MUST do and what his alternatives are. Not many. JMO, but I think Humpty Dumpty has fallen off the wall. How he lands nobody knows.
The weekend will be filled with panicky family meetings and calls to bonding companies. I am going to guess that the whole Trump Organization is a facade - a con.
Truth will be told soon.
But for now, check this out:
https://www.reuters.com/legal/how-will-trump-pay-his-355-million-civil-fraud-judgment-2024-02-16/
I’m wondering if, being forced to sell a property or two, couldn’t that expose some former wrong doing or other financial detail from a previous transaction? The only way Trump made it out of the last crash of 2007, was dark investments loans and sales and licensing deals from Putin’s oligarchs via Deutsche Bank. Could a sale expose just a little of that sparking a wider investigation? I can only hope!
Thanks for the article. It’s discouraging: if he doesn’t pay, and he probably won’t, more fines and no jail time. Sigh
If TFFG appeals he is required to post a bond for the amount owed x 111%.
Who is going to give him that kind of money without it being secured by his real estate holding? Sure a few MAGANAZIs are rich and dumb enough but I don't see that happening. And his sheeple can't raise that kind of money for him.
He must be sweating bullets trying to figure out if he can afford to appeal.
And it's frightening to read elsewhere that, as the likely Repub nominee, he'll be receiving top secret briefings in less than 6 months. How much will he sell those for?
Yikes! We can't let that happen!
I wonder if that's something the Biden admin has control over -- after all, he was denied the courtesy of receiving such info post-presidency per Biden; I hope that this would be handled in a similar fashion.
And what has been just the monetary cost of these trials? Not to mention the emotional toll on the country.
Lynn, I’ve been wondering that too. I’d like to see a list like the one David posted that enumerates the cost of all the investigations into J6, the cost of all those 61 lawsuits about the 2020 election, the cost of the time congress devotes to this like the cost of the second impeachment and the J6 committee, the costs of all these lawsuits against Trump, etc etc etc - all those costs that we the people are paying for.
Although unfortunate, it's a cost well worth bearing, as these various investigations and trials have necessarily exposed him and his grotesque misdeeds against our country and citizens.
Not worth bearing if he ends up cheating/sliding his way out of it. He'd better bear the consequences!
True. I'm not sure how he can/will, but if it's possible he'll at least find a way to delay. I wonder what happens if he dies before he pays off his legally-incurred debts -- is his estate still responsible? Not sure of the answer, but I hope so.
Yeah..., this loser-of-a-soap opera has been costly to all of us. The obscene nature of it..., I'm at a loss for words. Perhaps, "hazardous waste - not suitable for a landfill" fits. Or, a title like "#45 - The Degenerate". Accompanied by "WARNING - Extremely profane behavior un-worthy of an American, Viewer discretion called for". Of no redeemable value. Whewww... I'm going to go plow some snow.
So who receives tfg's fines from Engoron? That would be a good amount to send to Ukraine since the repugs won't send money --- just wishful thinking, but ---
Squeeze them dry!
Good accounting. If all the rotten liars were fined for the damage they have done we could settle the national debt.
I hope lying becomes electorally expensive too.
David Sea: Your comment is a KEEPER.
I think the catastrophic financial losses and the stripping of Orange-Toad's business license hurts Orange-Carnival-Barker far more than the felony indictments.
Thanks, I'm updating the numbers thanks to this thread. See revised figures.
I've been collecting a list of Trump epithets since Feb 13 (currently four days ago) since someone inspired me with "Mango Moon". Thanks for two new additions in one sentence!
Don Kemencic: "Mango Moon" is very good and a very personal and vivid reference to the Orange-Snout!
It's always taxes that gets them, no matter how great their other crimes.
James Burnham: Kinda reminds you of Al Capone.
Yep
On the People of the state of New York's case in front of Judge Engoron, the $355 "from Judge Engoron" the $355,000 award figure does not include PRE-JUDGMENT iINTEREST. Many, including me, put the TOTAL estimated amount around 453,000.00. I am using '$455,000+' because post-interest increases daily.
💲Money or bond is due within. thirty (30) days. Hat Tip to Lawrence O'Donnell who was interviewed last night by ALEX WAGNER. Lawrence pined that the son-in-law JARED may come to the rescue via his SAUDI 💲money connection. I am seeking corroboration after that I will seek additional corroboration.
Good work on your forensic accounting : )
He will be bailed out by some worthless regime desirous of having the US in its pocket for innumerable favors. It’ll seem like a good investment on the possibility of him becoming President in a few months.
There is no bottom to this barrel of monstrosities.
Accountability matters-but when do we get to shut them up??
It's not enough. A few hundred pounds of flesh might satisfy me. Not only am I livid at Trump, his family, and his enablers, I am livid that the idealism and mutual respect this country's residents had is shattered.
I retain faith that the pieces can be glued back together, but that will take years. Will I still be alive? My health and my lucky genetics say, "likely", but a calmer retirement with few worries about our kids' futures is still a ways away. A successful trouncing of MAGA in 2024 will go a long way in allaying my worries.
On a positive note, Navalny's murder may help isolate MAGA maniacs more. Speaker Johnson's comments might be about supporters of Putin within Congress, but also about Trump's continued losses in court. Trump is toast, though the toaster isn't hot enough for me
I am curious about how they can make #45 pay up. A question coming from ignorance.
He can’t appeal until that happens as I understand it.
Got that right Lynn.
Cash or a Surety Bond is required before 30 days run out from the ruling. But, one needs to include Pre-Judgmet interest & of course, POST-judgment interest as well EstimatedTOTAL at $453.5 Million now.
Thanks Bryan.
Recessing the House just now is indefensible. The 118th Congress had conspicuously avoided its responsibilities while in session, but this latest outrage is the worst yet.
We voters should be writing our representatives to complain and to Speaker of the House, that if he wants to save the tax payers money he should not make us pay them for not doing the work they are elected to do, by recessing when their is important work to be done. We should ask for the national election ballot to have a referendum that we don't pay politicians who miss a certain number of days, unless they are ill. It seems to me that Mike Johnson recessed to avoid dealing with the Aid to our allies funding bill. That should warrant everyone at least writing to their Representatives in the House.
An important thing to note is that when lawmakers are on recess, they are NOT on vacation (or at least not supposed to be). They are working from their offices in the home state/district, instead of their offices in D.C. The alternative is having them be separated from their constituents entirely (and their families), or being inactive in one location or the other for months at a time. People seem to totally forget this. The *good* members are busy wherever they are.
That said high-level negotiations can only be realistically done in D.C. and recessing before they are complete is beyond irresponsible.
Good point. Recess is a term too conflated. There are campaign related activities and other obligations to their donors to consider, while also serving the interests of the rest of their constituency. Whole body and committee actions are suspended during a recess.
I have written to them many times…..I dont think they care….(and I live in FL, so, there ya go)
With you. They don’t care. It’s useless. I get the same stock letter as a response every time.
Actually, Jen, pressure from constituents is important and effective. As members of Congress keep track of the number of pro and con phone calls, emails, and letters; it's urgent that we contact our representatives. I usually call. Johnson will cave under pressure. It's up to us to apply that pressure!
You are creating a record though and this is good. Hopefully it makes you feel good to write the letters, or at least better.
Thank you.
Even the ones that don't care, count votes. Very few of our emails or letters are read. But someone in every politician's office counts the sentiments of those communications. If enough people write and express their outrage, that can affect any politician's decisions. Of course, writing to the equivalent of an alien toad is frustrating. So just fire away with short missives.
I have my Senators, my House Rep and the WH all set up with auto fill - super easy to just fill in my latest rant.
Sorry about FL. We have family there. Blue dots in a red sea of insanity and bigotry.
My rep is Democrat but I wish I knew how to set up and do the autofill.
Me too. Grateful to live in a blue state. I use a password manager that autofills name address, etc.
I’ve written and called my representative, a Republican -- somewhat unusual in New Jersey, several times and have come to the same conclusion as you, he doesn’t care.
I agree, but appealing to their sense of duty to taxpayers will only seenike a joke to them. We need to put a fire under their asses and the fear of God andother Nature into their shriveled up little hearts
Still, I have written mine this morning demanding that they get back to work to earn our tax dollars and support my cousins who are stationed in Germany, the military in general, and our allies.------ I was reading an article yesterday in Euro News that EU countries and the USA are having difficulties recruiting people into the military. In the EU because the youth don't believe in war for the most part, and in the USA, because a huge part of our population is too obese to join the military who would be eligible to otherwise. This leads to White Supremacists more easily slipping in. I read that Spain and another country are considering using immigrants, with a fast road to citizenship. I have been recommending this to be a strategy for Ukraine, since I read that Putin was conscripting refugees once Finland closed the border to them. Perhaps this should be a US strategy as well.
Mr. Johnson and the rest of the MAGA crew have egg on their face after the murder of Navalny. Let’s also not forget that Matt Getthemwhiletheyre young has his own problems. How’s that going taking orders from PO1135809?
I call Ken Buck all the time but he's not the problem any more. It's the Andy Biggs and Empty Gees constituents who are the issue.
"ask for the national election ballot to have a referendum". Separate it from the election! This would be a great reform for all time, allowing the American people to weaponize public efforts to pressure Congress whenever they forget the people's will.
Jonathan, this Congress has only continued to meet its responsibilities, not avoided them.
Remember, Republicans are responsible for covering up for, defending, funding the fat orange fraud, rapist, con man, and rouser of hate.
Putin killed Navalny, as he killed democracy in Russia -- rather as the ideologue, theocratic U.S. Supreme Court killed the personal, health, and family life of U.S. women. Both Putin and the court hold their forced packaging of others above the law that had protected freedoms.
That fat, waddling orange guy -- he so hates the law which might curb his corruptions. And Nazis abroad the land support him, like that spineless theocrat speaker of the U.S. House.
But there are so many Nazis mixed in among the Republicans -- so many totally dehumanized, totally for the international murderers like Putin.
Dems? Too many are fooling themselves that these criminal classes are imploding, when ilk as Putin, Trump, Tucker, Clarence, and the U.S. House Howdy Doody still hold themselves immune for criminality.
Phil, all sadly, very true. But my optimistic coffee is kicking in. Read this. It might cheer you up. https://www.reuters.com/legal/how-will-trump-pay-his-355-million-civil-fraud-judgment-2024-02-16/
No kidding Jonathan. I have written to two Republican Congresscritters chastising them for being traitors to America and begging them to pass aid to Ukraine.
I received a response from Don Bacon (NE) yesterday. I haven't opened it yet. He has been ignoring my emails since Johnson was made Trump's puppet. No response from John Rutherford (R-FL4). They both have military backgrounds and say they support Ukraine. What a crock.
Hopefully, the press will hound Johnson incessantly by whatever rock he is hiding under.
Astonishingly they don't care about their constituents or the country and they think of themselves as patriots. What do they care about? Being primaries out of their seats by trump's cultists.
We need to federalize what Oregon did. Chronic Absenteeism needs to have a punishment. Failure to be present and vote on bills disqualifies future running for office. No recess till the critical work gets done. The threat of shutting everything down through not appropriating needs a severe consequence to those that perpetuate destruction of the full faith and credit. Isn’t this a part of one of the reconstruction amemdments?
Yes! If we didn’t show up for our jobs, we would be fired. There needs to be accountability for their refusal to serve we, the people.
As a healthcare worker, if the end of the shift came and the work wasn’t done, nobody went home until it was completed. We are paying these Congress people and they are going home with work unfinished… how can we stop this?
maddening!
Thank you Professor Richardson.
The United States must elect and support leadership who will project strength, stability, and unwavering support for our allies and our international treaties.
When the GOP majority in the House betrays their oath to our own Constitution and justice system, projecting stability becomes a bridge too far.
People like Gosar, Biggs, Jordan, Taylor-Greene, Boebert, Perry, Gaetz, Comer, and others (and the voters who elevate them to leadership) are only capable of projecting chaos and incompetence, not stability or strength.
I believe, if what Heather posted of Speaker Johnson, that is the most important development of all.
Johnson is a traitor. It is maddening that One(1) man can stop the aid to Ukraine. Something is VERY wrong with that system!
I agree. How can he, a single man, refuse to even bring the bill up for a vote? How does the speaker come to have this power?
Well he for instance ran unopposed in his first election. Can you imagine? It is ridiculous.
Johnson is a weak man. He’s just a Trump and MAGAt tool. He is NOT calling the shots here, Trump is.
A man is not a plan, and neither is hope. But I'm still hoping that Mikey's is a sign that he's seeing the light on Ukraine. Navalny's assassination, along with news this morning of a major Ukrainian retreat in the war, may stir these MAGAts to the realization that this shit is real. But as I said, it's just a hope and not an expectation.
How can we be assured that Trump who took that oath to the Constitution, if re-elected will swear an oath to the Constitution again, and disregard it...AGAIN?
That’s exactly what the 14th amendment is about. If someone violated their oath of office once, they shouldn’t get a chance to do it again.
If anything, Trump has demonstrated to all that the only loyalty he has is to self.
Guess what? Everything that comes out of his mouth is backwards and upside down. He has no honor.
And everything he accuses Biden or other's for doing what is likely he has already done it himself -- repeatedly.
Classic projection of a narcissist. Projection, blaming, gaslighting.
I’m certain that fpotus would not know “honor” if it came up and bit his @$$.
The Presidential oath of office is - "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
There is nothing in there about executing the office except for 187 minutes while insurrections storm the Capital.
We can't is the answer, anymore than we did the first time.
I think he wants to redo the Constitution.
There must be some way to get them fired.
Would love to see them expelled, indicted, and convicted.
…& Tucker…
Lorna, maybe Tucker can get a job with the My Pillow guy hawking that crap on TV/internet commercials. Would be a job befitting his talents.
Barbara, I had one of those pillows, which was never that great. I threw it away. That pillow-man makes me nauseated.
'The Death of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Formidable Opponent'
'The opposition leader, who died in prison, had been persecuted for years by the Russian state. He remained defiant, and consistently funny, to the very end.'
By Masha Gessen in The NEWYORKER (exerpt)
‘Alexey Navalny spent at least a decade standing up to the Kremlin when it seemed impossible. He was jailed and released. He was poisoned, and survived. He was warned to stay away from Russia and didn’t. He was arrested in front of dozens of cameras, with millions of people watching. In prison, he was defiant and consistently funny. For three years, his jailers put him in solitary confinement, cut off his access to and arrested his lawyers, piled on sentence after sentence, sent him all the way across the world’s largest country to serve out his time in the Arctic, and still, when he appeared on video in court, he laughed at his jailers. Year after year, he faced down the might of one of the world’s cruellest states and the vengeance of one of the world’s cruellest men. His promise was that he would outlive them and lead what he called the Beautiful Russia of the Future. On Friday, they killed him. He was forty-seven years old.’
‘Hours after the news of his death broke, his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, addressed the Munich Security Conference. “I don’t know whether to believe the news, the terrible news, which we are only getting from state-controlled sources in Russia,” she said, from the conference’s main stage’. “As you all know, for many years we’ve been unable to believe Putin and his government. They always lie. But, if it is true, I want Putin and everyone around him, his friends and his government, to know that they will be held responsible for what they have done to our country, to my family, and to my husband. The day of reckoning will come very soon.”
‘In Russia, Vladimir Putin was visiting an industrial park in Chelyabinsk, in the Urals. He took questions from staff and students, who were seated a safe distance from the Russian President on what appeared to be the plant floor. Putin seemed to be in an unusually good mood. He bantered and flirted with the audience. He boasted that Western sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine had boosted industrial production inside Russia. He hadn’t seemed so jovial in public in years.’
‘In exactly a month, Russia will hold a ritual that it calls an election. With no actual alternative to Putin, who has total control of the media and the so-called electoral institutions, the current Russian President will be crowned for another six-year term, extending his time in power to thirty-one years. Navalny tried to run against Putin six years ago, but the rigged system stopped him. His very name was banished from the airwaves. Still, even when the system shut him out, and, later, when it put him in prison, Navalny remained Putin’s most formidable opponent.’ (by Masha Gessen, The NEWYORKER)
See link below.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/postscript/the-death-of-alexey-navalny-putins-most-formidable-opponent
'Tributes to Alexei Navalny, Putin’s greatest foe, removed from Russian cities as police look on'
BY EMMA BURROWS (AP)
'Floral tributes to Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe who died Friday in a Russian penal colony, were removed overnight by groups of unknown people while police watched, videos on Russian social media channels show.'
'More than 100 people were detained in eight cities across Russia after they came to lay flowers in memory of Navalny, according to OVD-Info, a group that monitors political repression in Russia. Russia’s prison service said in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence. On Saturday, police blocked access to a memorial in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk and detained several people, OVD-Info said.'
'Videos and photos shared on Russian social media channels showed flowers being cleared from monuments to victims of Soviet-era repressions across Russia. In Moscow, flowers were removed overnight from a memorial near the headquarters of Russia’s Federal Security Service by a large group while police looked on, a video showed. But by morning more flowers had appeared.'
'The news of Navalny’s death comes less than a month before an election that will give Putin another six years in power.'
'It shows “that the sentence in Russia now for opposition is not merely imprisonment, but death,” said Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus and senior fellow for Russia & Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.'
'Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service reported that Navalny felt sick after a walk Friday and lost consciousness at the penal colony in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow. An ambulance arrived, but he couldn’t be revived; the cause of death is still “being established,” 'it said.'
'Navalny had been jailed since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow to face certain arrest after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. He was later convicted three times, saying each case was politically motivated, and received a sentence of 19 years for extremism.'
'After the last verdict, Navalny said he understood he was “serving a life sentence, which is measured by the length of my life or the length of life of this regime.”
'Hours after Navalny’s death was reported, his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, made a dramatic appearance at a security conference in Germany where many leaders had gathered.'
'She said she had considered canceling,' “but then I thought what Alexei would do in my place. And I’m sure he would be here,” 'adding that she was unsure if she could believe the news from official Russian sources.'
'U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington doesn’t know exactly what happened,' “but there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something Putin and his thugs did.”
'Navalny' “could have lived safely in exile,” but returned home despite knowing he could be imprisoned or killed “because he believed so deeply in his country, in Russia.”
'In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Navalny “has probably now paid for this courage with his life.”
'Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was told of Navalny’s death. The opposition leader’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the team had no confirmation yet.' (AP)
President Biden and V. President Harris,
Thank you for standing up to the ideal of Democracy! Thanks to the brave men and women who stand for freedom...true patriots....we need you during these strange times...men and women of courage to keep the "light of freedom" burning brightly.
Thank you Heather for keeping the truth in front of us!!!
Not only did Navalny give his life but Yulia and children have sacrificed a loving husband and father for the ideal of freedom. For years they surrendered him to a cause beyond themselves....to a cause they believed in with husband and father.
While Navalny suffered, so did each one of his family members.
Many of us are too involved in lesser things....listen to others rather than wisely establish our own opinions through honest observation within VARIOUS venues. Many of us would rather be cowards, look the other way, forgetting the young men and women who have sacrificed their lives for the ideal of freedom.
Navalny's life must not be forgotten. We must find a way to continue fighting for freedom.....for the love, respect and value of each and all.
Thank you, Fern. I got (somewhat gently) taken to task yesterday when I posted a simple “I had not heard Nevalny died”. I had just learned of it, but had not gotten further information. I was pretty sure he had been murdered, but had not seen official reports.
Thank you for this information. Rest in power, Alexi. May we have your courage as we go forward.
Amen.
Thanks for these, Fern.
Thank you, Kathy, for your attention to Navalny's courage and support of the rights of the Russian people.
Thank you, Fern, for filling in the details. Alexei Navalny was one of the greatest and most courageous persons of our lifetimes. I hope his life and death will bring freedom to his beloved country.
Beautifully expressed, Barbara. You echo the feelings of many.
Biden calling anyone else a thug needs to look in a mirror. How many? 30 or 40 THOUSAND dead in Palestine, whose families were violently forced from their OWN HOMES and LAND in 1948.
I agree with Don here. This is all on Netanyahu.
Me too.
I DO think we could have been tougher with "Bibi" earlier. The horrors of Gaza should not be downplayed. But they are a distraction from the fact that Israel is threatened with non-existence from more than Hamas. The Hezbollah in the north are threatening as well. Iran is dedicated to it - employing the Houthis as well.
Biden can't dictate to Bibi. But we are threading a needle here. The situation is complex beyond words. I too think the destruction of Gaza is beyond awful. But I have yet to hear anyone come up with a plan, a strategy to eliminate Hamas who have only one mission: destroy the state of Israel and every Jew in it.
Israel's neighbor Egypt is building a wall along the border with Gaza. Why? Because they fear Hamas.
Israel is using our money and weapons to destroy Palestine and its people. Nethu supported Hamas just so he could avoid two states. They are using this as an excuse to clear this little bit of land that they have let the Palestinians keep, of what was all theirs, so they can take the land and the natural gas resources. They do whatever they want because the US is fully compromised by AIPAC and because we all were horrified by the Holocaust. The State has proven to be no better than the Nazis were to their parents. They want you to think it's complicated. It's not. It's propaganda. We need to stop funding their atrocities.
Who do you think is paying for this and sending planeloads of weapons? I guess it's cool because it supports our arms industry and, as one pro-Israel person told me, it's a perfect testing ground for new weapons. The fact is our whole government and many of our citizens are compromised by AIPAC and the dire threat of so-called anti-Semitism thrown at anyone who dares to show sympathy for the Palestinians. This massive McCarthyesque effort to bring down sympathizers is an assault on free speech. The attacks on Harvard are particularly egregious. The claims of mass anti-Semitism are just about people who hate this genocide and see it clearly for what it is.
Please tell me what the president should do that would stop Netanyahu from his war on Gaza? What authority over Netanyahu do you think the president has?
Cut aid and weaponry.
Why is "cutting aid" seen as a simple solution to an intractable problem that has gone on for generations? Why do we think there ARE simple solutions to this conflict?
Who said it was 'simple'? I believe you just did. Please do not speak for me. I do that,.
And thus allow the conflict to spread, putting many, many others at risk.
Thus according you, Don. It is spreading and has been. Do you credit Netanyahu & his cabinet for any of it?
Cut all weapons and money to this genocidal state. We should not be supporting the literal razing of Gaza and Rafah and extermination of its people. Get close-ups on Instagram, if that would make it real to you. Have you no heart at all?
Why do you think I'm heartless because I don't believe simplistic solutions will work here, and that Biden is doing about the best he can to contain this conflict???
What will likely happen if we cut off all aid to Israel? Bibi will see it as a green light to be completely unrestrained, and worse than we have seen will likely ensue. Further, a completely unrestrained Israel will very likely draw Iran into the conflict, and maybe Russia too if they still have forces that aren't committed to the slaughter in Ukraine. Then we will see a real regional bloodbath, and the suffering of the people of Gaza will be forgotten.
Diplomacy is messy. We don't know all the things Biden's diplomatic team are doing to try and contain the conflict and even give Israeli authorities some aid that will help them talk some sense into Netanyahu.
So let's give Biden a wand from the Harry Potter universe with which he can summon a shield charm to protect the people of Gaza. Sometimes I think the people who are attacking Biden for his diplomacy and blaming him for the slaughter are looking for just such a magical solution.
He could hardly be more unrestrained. The creation of and our support of Israel is the cause of much of what you describe. We don't belong there.
You have to be kidding. We are financing and sending planeloads of arms to them. They have said they couldn't do it without us. We send them billions of our tax dollars that we need here. Cut them off.
Genocide is what we are watching. Period!
Exactly. US funded genocide.
Any and Lisa and Fern-I completely agree. And Don I get that it’s complicated, many moons of complication. Our country should not be aiding and abetting a dictator.
Let's cut off all aid to Israel and see what happens, then. See what a completely unrestrained Israel will do. See what happens when Iran gets involved.
And now he is a martyr.
Navalny actually sacrificed himself. That is something few have the courage to do.
HCR would slickly lead us to assume, without a shred of evidence, that Putin murdered Navalny. Making political hay of this propaganda point, she writes: "The death of Navalny at just this moment appears to tie the Republicans to Putin’s murderous regime."
By way of contrast, Korybko writes on Substack:
"Putin Had No Reason To Kill Navalny But The West Has Every Reason To Lie That He Did"
https://korybko.substack.com/p/putin-had-no-reason-to-kill-navalny?publication_id=835783&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=1epo4c
From Newsweek-
Full List of Putin Critics Who Have Died in Mysterious Circumstances
Published Feb 16, 2024 at 11:02 AM EST
Alexei Navalny
Age: 47
Date of Death: February 16, 2024
Cause of Death: Alexei Navalny died in prison. The Russian prison service reported that he felt unwell after a walk and lost consciousness.
Biography: Alexei Navalny was a prominent critic of Vladimir Putin. He gained global attention in 2020 when he survived a poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny willingly returned to Russia from Germany in 2021, where he had received treatment for the previous poisoning. Upon his return, he was promptly arrested. Navalny was known for exposing corruption, investigating Putin's inner circle, and leading anti-Kremlin opposition movements. His death is likely to be seen by fellow opposition members as a political assassination attributable to Putin, but is as yet unexplained.
Mikhail Lesin
Age: 57
Date of Death: November 5, 2015
Cause of Death: Mikhail Lesin was a former Russian press minister and media executive. He fell out of favor with Putin and faced scrutiny for his wealth. Lesin was found dead in a Washington, D.C. hotel room. The official cause of death was ruled as accidental blunt force injuries, but questions persist about the circumstances.
Boris Nemtsov
Age: 55
Date of Death: February 27, 2015
Cause of Death: Boris Nemtsov was shot dead on a bridge near the Kremlin. His murder remains unsolved, but many believe it was politically motivated. Nemtsov was a vocal critic of Putin's government, advocating for democracy, human rights, and transparency. He served as a deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin and later became a prominent opposition figure.
Boris Berezovsky
Age: 67
Date of Death: March 23, 2013
Cause of Death: Boris Berezovsky was a wealthy businessman, oligarch, and former ally of Putin. However, he became a vocal critic and fled to the U.K. Berezovsky was found dead in his home in Berkshire, England. The official cause of death was ruled as suicide, but suspicions remain due to his high-profile opposition activities.
Sergei Magnitsky
Age: 37
Date of Death: November 16, 2009
Cause of Death: Sergei Magnitsky was a lawyer and auditor who exposed a massive tax fraud scheme involving Russian officials. He was arrested, imprisoned, and denied medical treatment. Magnitsky died in custody following severe beatings and medical neglect. His death led to the passing of the Magnitsky Act in the United States, which sanctions Russian officials involved in human rights abuses and corruption.
Stanislav Markelov
Age: 34
Date of Death: January 19, 2009
Cause of Death: Stanislav Markelov was a human rights lawyer and journalist. He was assassinated in Moscow by a gunman who also killed journalist Anastasia Baburova. Markelov had represented victims of human rights abuses and criticized the Russian government's actions in Chechnya. His death raised concerns about the safety of those opposing the regime.
Anastasia Baburova
Age: 25
Date of Death: January 19, 2009
Cause of Death: Anastasia Baburova, a journalist and activist, was shot dead alongside human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov in Moscow. She had reported on neo-Nazi groups and political violence. Her murder remains unsolved, but it is believed to be connected to her activism.
Natalia Estemirova
Age: 50
Date of Death: July 15, 2009
Cause of Death: Natalia Estemirova, a human rights activist and journalist, was abducted in Grozny, Chechnya, and found dead later that day. She had documented human rights violations in Chechnya and criticized the government. Her murder remains unsolved, but it is widely believed to be connected to her activism and criticism of the Chechen authorities.
Anna Politkovskaya
Age: 48
Date of Death: October 7, 2006
Cause of Death: Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist, was shot dead in her apartment building in Moscow. She had reported extensively on human rights abuses, corruption, and the war in Chechnya. Her work was critical of Putin's government, and her murder sparked international outrage. Despite investigations, the masterminds behind her killing have not been brought to justice.
Yuri Shchekochikhin
Age: 53
Date of Death: July 3, 2003
Cause of Death: Yuri Shchekochikhin was a journalist, writer, and member of the Russian State Duma. He investigated corruption, organized crime, and human rights abuses. Shchekochikhin suddenly fell ill and died from an unknown cause. Some suspect poisoning, but the circumstances remain unclear.
John, will all due respect: history shows us that P is a murderer. Of course he didn’t kill his foe personally. And I am sad that the food man returned to Russia for his own sake
Good man that is.
!! (I can't "like")
Thanks for posting these.
And then there's the list of people who suddenly died when they were about to testify against Bill and Hillary Clinton (interspersed in a much longer list of suspicious deaths):
https://whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/BODIES.php
No matter what Navalny actually died of, Putin is fully responsible and rejoicing....
Rhonda Buckland,
You might share your thoughts on my reply to James Quinn here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-16-2024/comment/49780175
John, unless you actually believe that Mr. Navalny was an American agent as Mr Korybko alleges, you must see his article as blatantly pro Putin. And Mr Korybko somehow avoids the question of why Mr. Navalny was in prison in the first place. I assume it wasn't for stealing someone's lunch money, but rather that he was protesting Mr. Putin's policies. Of course such protest isn't either wise or safe in Mr. Putin's domain. I don't see that you can really suppose this article is other than propaganda of the most obvious sort. In a regime, which like most of an authoritarian bent looks rather unfavorably (a distinct understatement) on protesters, Mr. Navalny's death is certainly suspicious.
James, the supposition in your first sentence doesn't work. I am open to the poosibility that Navalny was an American agent or asset. I also see Korybko's article as having a clear pro-Russian bias, counterbalancing HCR's anti-Russian bias.
I agree that Mr. Navalny 's death is suspicious.
Possible causes:
1. Putin ordered that he be liquidated.
2. Somebody else in the Russian hierarchy ordered the death.
3. Somebody at his prison had a personal reason to get rid of Navalny.
4. He died of natural causes, such as a vaccine-related blood clot.
5. It was a "false flag" murder, designed to make trouble for Putin and Russia.
This last one is Korybko's supposition.
Do you think it less likely than the others?
I'm disinclined to see Navalny as a US asset, A look at his record makes me believe he was the kind of crusader who, while I'm sure US intelligence would have loved to assist him, would likely have seen their support as a corrupting dilution of his mission. I feel he was acting entirely on his own. Such men are rarer than the other kind, but they do exist, and Navalny strikes me as one of them.
As to his death, given the state of Russian prisons - not exactly dachas on the Black Sea, natural causes could well be responsible. Yet Putin must have known that his death would cause an international outcry, which he can ill-afford at this point, so I'd be surprised if, while he certainly wanted the man out of his hair, he also wanted sufficient care taken to prevent this kind of brouhaha.
Yet Putin has also shown a willingness to use his intelligence community to attempt to kill those who oppose him, even outside of Russia, so I certainly don't discount direct orders from him, with the caveat that he would prefer it look like natural causes, an accident, or perhaps medication that went wrong.
'Falsh flag?" Certainly a possibility. Clearly there is opposition to Putin within Russia, and they would have known all too well that such action at this time would cause an international outcry and that it would almost certainly be blamed on Putin. Yet within the isolated conditions of the prison where it happened, it ought to be all too easy for Putin to discover who was directly responsible if he suspected it. I don't doubt he has an excellent surveillance operation keeping an eye on anyone even remotely suspected of opposing views. They would know that.
So where does that leave us? As with so many such issues, I doubt we'll ever know for sure.
And now Putin is saying what I said months ago, Russia acted in Ukraine in the face of an existential threat:
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240218/everything-happening-in-ukrainian-direction-matter-of-life-death-for-russia---putin-1116854990.html
Or he's just trying to Make Russia Great Again. Once again with Occam's razor. As I noted earlier, this is just the kind of ambition that authoritarians often manifest. We've gotten two world wars that way. I rather hope we don't get a third.
When you say "Putin has shown his willingness to use his intelligence community..." you appear to imply that (1) members of the Russian intelligence community are unlikely to act autonomously or "go rogue," and (2) whoever acted in a way that we presume Putin ordered wasn't suborned by the British (not the Americans). I see no reason to buy either supposition.
I can imagine a cloak-and-daggar story where, years ago, Navalny refused to become a British double agent, so the British poisoned him to make it look like Putin did it. And then somebody bribed a prison guard to let in a care package with special treats for Navalny that poisoned him, so they could discredit Putin in the upcoming election.
I have no reason to believe any of that happened, it's just my imagination.
Part of me wants to imagine that you've read entirely too many John Le Carre novels. I'm also a relatively strong believer in Occam's razor.
This could be related to Navalny's death:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Russian_presidential_election
No doubt.
And one day he is being talked to by a judge, seen even laughing per the Kremlin and the next day dead? This is after being poisoned several years ago by the Kremlin……exactly where and who tells them what to do…..Putin!
You might consider my reply to James Quinn here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-16-2024/comment/49780175
"Leadership requires killing people"?
Is that what jesus would do?
It really does come down to a stark difference in base values and what people look for in a leadership figure.
Most very conservative people put a high value on authority and hierarchy, so their idea of a leadership figure is an authority figure. They find comfort and admiration in the idea that someone could quell the elements of society they find threatening. In this system, leadership means domination, hard power of demanded respect and loyalty, and the person who has the most leadership potential is the person who can most ruthlessly and completely dominate the opposition, creating a "safe" and orderly society where differences are kept out of the picture. So, violent suppression? Gotta do what you gotta do.
Most liberal people do not value authority or hierarchy at all, and put all their value on care and fairness, so their idea of a leadership figure is a nurturing role model. They find comfort and admiration in the idea that someone could bring people together to make an ever-more-colorful family. In this system, leadership means listening, soft power of earned respect and loyalty, and the person who has the most leadership potential is the person who can most likely bring together different perspectives by finding common ground and leading by example, creating a safe society where differences are celebrated as an opportunity for unique perspective and growth. Why attack? We're all good here!
Will, I have read a few articles about the conservative/liberal psyche…very interesting. Here’s one such article I bookmarked (don’t think there’s a paywall): https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/conservative-and-liberal-brains-might-have-some-real-differences/
As sooo many of us are still trying to understand...here is another I read recently:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/29/donald-trump-americans-us-culture-republican
Excellent article, Barbara, and very helpful. I was able to access it through the link.
Kindness and listening may seem like "soft powers" but in reality these attributes take great strength and wisdom.
Labeling Republicans as conservatives is a misnomer. They are regressives wanted to roll back any progress made to help the poor and promoting equality of all people. I prefer to think of them as repressive regressives whereas liberals tend to be more progressive and promoting the equality of all people not just white men.
Is that what Tucker Carlson would do? Or would he execute on behalf of his boss? No, wait, his boss isn't the boss. OK, he must have had some comprehensive cups of tea with Putin.
Putin criticizes Tucker's poor interviewing skills. Read on for his review.
'Tucker Carlson’s Lesson in the Perils of Giving Airtime to an Autocrat'
'The death of Aleksei Navalny, the Kremlin’s most vocal domestic opponent, prompted fresh criticism on Friday of the right-wing host’s recent interview with Vladimir Putin.'
By Jim Rutenberg and Michael M. Grynbaum (NYTimes)
'Tucker Carlson left Moscow more than a week ago, riding high from an interview with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that returned him to the spotlight after his abrupt cancellation by Fox News last spring.'
'But the interview with the wartime autocrat, mocked in various corners of the political-media world for its soft touch, continues to have a long and tortured afterlife — becoming a trending topic all over again on Friday after Mr. Putin’s most vocal domestic opponent, Aleksei A. Navalny, turned up dead in a Russian prison.'
“This is what Putin’s Russia is, @TuckerCarlson,” 'Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman from Wyoming, wrote on X after the news of Mr. Navalny’s death broke on Friday.' “And you are Putin’s useful idiot.”
'Naomi Biden, President Biden’s granddaughter, also weighed in, pointing to a video that Mr. Carlson had recently posted in which he contrasted the supposed splendors of Russia under Mr. Putin’s leadership with the “filth and crime” of the United States. “Has anything aged so poorly, so quickly before?” Ms. Biden wrote on X.'
'In a statement to The New York Times on Friday, Mr. Carlson said': “It’s horrifying what happened to Navalny. The whole thing is barbaric and awful. No decent person would defend it.”
'The comment represented a notable change in tone from earlier this week, when he appeared to offer a blasé opinion regarding Russia’s treatment of Mr. Navalny, who was first imprisoned three years ago on charges of corruption and “extremism” that the United States called baseless.'
'Asked at a conference in Dubai on Monday why he had not questioned Mr. Putin about Russia’s free speech crackdown, Mr. Navalny’s jailing or suspected political assassinations, Mr. Carlson said those were “the things that every other American media outlet talks about.” '(Mr. Carlson was, in fact, the first Western media figure to interview Mr. Putin in more than two years.)'
'But, Mr. Carlson said then, “leadership requires killing people — sorry, that’s why I wouldn’t want to be a leader” — comments that came under still more criticism after Mr. Navalny’s death.'
'Mr. Carlson said in a statement on Friday that his remarks about leadership' “had zero” to do with Mr. Navalny. “I wasn’t referring to him, which is obvious in context. I’m totally opposed to killing.'
'Though Mr. Carlson did press Mr. Putin during the interview on Russia’s detention of the Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich, he sat silent for long stretches as Mr. Putin conducted a history lecture that provided a one-sided and often false narrative about Ukraine.'
'Mr. Carlson’s fans and supporters on X portrayed criticism of his interview as sour grapes from mainstream journalists who did not get to interview Mr. Putin themselves.'
'But on Wednesday, a new pundit joined the chorus of those who said Mr. Carlson had gone too easily on Mr. Putin — Mr. Putin himself.'
'Speaking with a state television host, Mr. Putin said he was disappointed that Mr. Carlson had not asked “so-called sharp questions” because he wanted the opportunity to “respond sharply” in his own answers.'
“He turned out to be patient and listened to my lengthy dialogues, especially those related to history, and didn’t give me reason to do what I was ready for,”' Mr. Putin said. '“So, frankly, I didn’t get complete satisfaction from this interview.”
'Justin Wells, one of Mr. Carlson’s top producers, responded on Friday that viewers should' “judge for themselves.”
'Mr. Putin’s mockery of Mr. Carlson came as the former Fox host was basking in the aftermath of his interview by offering a steady stream of praise for Russia and Mr. Putin, whose leadership he has extolled as superior to Mr. Biden’s.'
'On Wednesday, Mr. Carlson posted a short video recorded at a Russian grocery store, saying its selection and prices offered an example of Russia’s superiority over the United States, which he described as rife with' “filth and crime and inflation.”
“Coming to a Russian grocery store, the heart of evil, and seeing what things cost and how people live, it will radicalize you against our leaders,” 'he said in the video'. “That’s how I feel, anyway — radicalized.”
'(Russia has more than twice the rate of inflation as the United States, and its citizens spend a higher percentage of their household budgets on groceries.)'
'The video drew a bipartisan rebuke: from Naomi Biden and, before her, Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina.'
'As a polemicist who has long dabbled in pro-Russia narratives and now relies on subscriptions from those drawn to just such content, Mr. Carlson operates in a sphere where the criticism he has received this week could be a catalyst for still more support.'
“He’s just measured by an entirely different yardstick,” 'said Nicole R. Hemmer, an associate professor of history at Vanderbilt University who studies conservative media.' “Tucker under attack is great for Tucker.” (NYTimes) Copied in full.
Thanks for that, Fern.
They are quite a couple, Vladimir and Tucker, don't you think?
One thinks he's immortal and seems to have hair envy. The other thinks he's an influencer and needs a job in television. Yes, that's the start of a couple.
Thanks for the chuckle and the visuals, Anne-Louise.
Early in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were some stories about Russian soldiers looting Ukrainian homes and stores. The Russians marveled at how much wealthier the average Ukrainian homes they pillaged were vs their own.
The North Koreans pulled the same grocery store propaganda years ago, going into a beautiful well stocked grocery store which was just a prop for propaganda.
Tucker is a sucker. Unfortunately, he owns a home in ME, so I know exactly how the grocery stores are stocked where he lives. I'm guessing he's never stepped foot in a grocery store anywhere, because he's a misogynist pig and considers that to be "women's work."
I wonder how long Carlson has before Putin decides he's no longer a 'useful idiot'. If I were him, I would not be staying in hotels on the upper floors.
No. Fortunately, or unfortunately, that interview came from Dubai, so he's on his way back to the Land of the Free. Unless he's calling in on Bibi while he's visiting friends.
James, no matter where he is now, his days are numbered. He's expendable, just like all of djts followers.
Tucker digs despots.
Absolutely not, but a lot of people claiming to be "Christians" (including Putin) have slain appalling numbers.
A preppie hoe will saying anything for money. 🫢
It's more like what Tony Soprano would do.
Many faux-Christian nationalists consider Jesus a liberal and they ignore his words of compassion and forgiveness. God and Country is coming to Apple in March and may be in theaters now (I'm not sure). For the record, I think Jesus was a liberal, but that's a good thing.
Well…except Tuckums is just about the most unchristian person there is. He follows none of Christ’s teachings to be kind of the least among you, feed the hungry, help the poor, clothe the naked, etc.
Yes of course! All the MAGAts are such good christians following Christ's example.
To me, so much of what I like to think of as "strength" is the ability to pick yourself up and adapt when what you thought you knew about yourself or your world was shattered. I think we are testing the strength of our country and ourselves as citizens en mass these past eight years. As the professor illustrates so consistently, most of the American identity is based around competing stories and mythos. Humans are storytellers; we use narrative to organize and give meaning, to make the complex make sense.
For most of us on these pages, the (un-popular) election of tfg was a complete shattering of the simple and comforting story that so many of us had told ourselves about our country: that progress was inevitable, that everyone believes in our basic values, that *it can't happen here.* We were traumatized and have been unable so far to heal. It is no hyperbole to say so, and don't let anyone tell you that it is. Our sense of safety in the place we live was revoked by the same people we live with, writ large. What we knew was gone, and what was revealed to be real was terrifying. That is trauma.
What did we do? If you read these Letters, that means you decided to get up, and get up fast. You didn't lick your wounds and mourn the story you lost, you looked the truth in the face, realized you never had the whole picture... and went looking for it. You decided that what was there was still worth saving, and realized you couldn't save it - save yourself and what you love - if you got bitter or gave in to denial. You reached out to find others who felt the same, either in real life or across the new frontier of the internet. You GREW.
You got stronger. WE got stronger. And then we started winning.
Don't fear this man, and don't fear his followers. Pity them. When presented with a demagogue, someone who could channel their repressed trauma and fears out onto their neighbors, they didn't have the *real* strength to turn away. They gave in to the cheap thrill of demagoguery, the thrill of seeing someone be as awful and ugly and angry as they wished they could be without consequences. They were not strong enough to build themselves up, so they gave themselves over to someone else's specious displays of phony macho aggression, someone else's promise of "strength". Now their time to realize their story was flawed has come. Their new God-emperor is simply the emperor-with-no-clothes: a fraud in every sense. Do they have the strength we had and have? They do not. They will deny reality because they cannot face it. Because they cannot admit that they were fooled - that they have lost - they will continue to be fooled. They will, most likely, continue losing. How sad for them!
Just because someone seems like they keep getting away with things, does not mean justice will not come. But it will only come if you have the real strength to be honest, resilient, and persistent, to keep the faith and grow. I am so happy to know all of you are out there. And to know that today, even if I don't have 350 million dollars, at least a monster will soon have 350 million dollars less. So satisfying!
Hope
Inspiring, Will. Thank you.
Indigenous Peoples never had such delusional "comforting" stories about people in power in this country.
“Honest, resilient, and persistent”. So very true. Thank you.
What a letter! I can only balance Tucker Carlson's "Every leader kills people" with Navalny's "We don't realize how strong we are." And brava to Vice President Harris's full-throated defense of global engagement and the Biden Administration's support for Ukraine. Let's hope more Americans can identify the real victims here—certainly not the Trumps.
I am nervous that those words from Carlson could grow into a roadmap for the desperate and despicable magas if they win. Is that what our future holds? Don’t challenge us or we kill you? Such dangerous language.
Navalny was a brilliant, courageous man. He should be remembered the world over for his sacrifice.
When you see how Republicans in Congress vote full MAGA, you have to wonder if that train has already left the station.
I was moved by the strong and poignant close to tonight's newsletter. And yes. what a contrast.
I think we need to acknowledge Navalny's death was no accident. Whether planned or hoped for, he was placed in a position where death was imminent.
This is the future trump (forgive me, I just can't capitalize his name) sees as his right; death to his opposition.
Putin holds his country in a tight hand, squeezing out all opposition to his rule while claiming his love of country. His people are mostly ignorant of the world, but his war with Ukraine is changing that. That is a crack in his armor. It is to our shame that our Republican party is rushing in to spackle that crack when they should be pointing it out as another reason dictatorship isn't good for a society.
I'm going to be completely open here. All I have is a Masters in Comparative Religion. I'm not learned in law in any way. I really don't understand politics, but I do know right from wrong.
The current Right Wing political system is so wrong that anyone who isn't intentionally blinded can see it.
Sadly, those who intentionally choose to see otherwise are beyond reason or help.
I have no idea how to engage on any level with these people.
I've tried.
I've heard conspiracy theories.
I've heard Fox News claims.
I've been literally hit (slapped) for suggesting they've been conned.
I've had my life threatened.
All of this over political differences while being told the Left is the violent party.
I am so tired of this manure.
Ironically, Ricia, your Masters in Religion is probably more useful at this juncture to understanding American politics than an actual political sci degree would be. Much of it is religious cultism at this point.
I am sorry you have had such threatening experiences. We need to get to a place in this country where such experiences are too rare to count. I have been shouted at many times in public, even in my blue district, by red-hatters displeased with my non-profane clothing or memorabilia expressing a contrary stance. It only made me more determined and obstinate, but really it made me wonder: who DO these people think they are? Are they truly that triggered by the mere hint that they do not totally own the place like they seem to think they do? Maddening.
These people have been totally brainwashed by Fox News. It's like they are living in a completely different universe, and they wonder why WE can't see what they see.
Suggest you read the Scientific American article about brain differences for which Barabara Keating posted a link above.
That is a fantastic article, and explains the foundational differences between a liberal or conservative predisposition. What it does not address is how MAGA has become a “conservative” cult; for that we need to look at the indoctrination techniques that have been put into play, led by faux noise.
Hi Ally ! Are you about just now ?
Only as it regards a third of the numbers of the coalition that are christian taliban Will. Do Not disregard that the current gop has been overwhelmed by a tripartite coalition of useful idiots of kindred minds on some levels; Christian Taliban or fakers of the same, Chamber of Commerce religiosity, Power and control freaks; plus the more or less innocent, 'always vote R' crowd - followers, sheeple types. But the big 3 stand alone as the one's who've taken over a once honorable party, and the 'sheeple' are in denial on many levels, like addicts; my feeling is they can't help themselves and deserve patient, fact based education and understanding. Think about this for more than a passing moment and I think you'll see where the funding comes from and the fervency. Another huge component I should have added are adversaries of the U.S. and trust me, they are the fourth column. I've caught them and followed them 'home' so to speak digitally with some specialized skills, equipment, etc. - I dare not say more as I've been retaliated against for my funny shenanigans, as far back as 2015 or '16 - personally. jmho.... *edit - One always needs to keep in mind that trolls with bad intents cruise and gather data on this letter. They aren't always who you might suspect - they mostly gather data without engaging us, here and elsewhere.
Ricia….yeah, what Will said. I think an MA in Comparative Religion is way cool….bet it was (pardon the pun) enlightening…..interesting too.
Ricia, I am so with you on this . I am so tired of trying to present the truth to my MAGA friends & family. Giving it one more try this past week, I am now giving up. Soon I will be 77, am a widow and retired RN with a BS degree. HCR says to take up oxygen in the room, speak up and speak out. Well, I have no more to give….
It's been 'wrong' for longer than you know then Ricia. Dems pretty much just it go on. It all went into high gear so to speak in '71 following the Powell memo, which was a 'call to arms' for corporate commerce industries in western democracies. This is not BS, nor histrionics of any sort. I've been watching from the inside since the '70's and have seen it all slowly unwind in real time. See > https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/08/lewis-powell-memo-chamber-commerce.html
Perfect transition ~ “Navalny attacked the Putin regime by calling attention to its extraordinary corruption, and somewhat fittingly, the corruption of former president Donald Trump, who won the White House with Putin’s help, was also on the docket today.”
She glided from one to the other like a top ball player sliding into home. Immaculate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmdxWPhk7Ug
Balletic! *chef's kiss*
Smoooooth
I don't make deals for the money. I've got enough, much more than I'll ever need. I do it to do it. __Donald Trump
King of the MAGAs , ‘…Donald J. Trump was penalized $355 million, plus millions more in interest, and banned for three years from serving in any top roles at a New York company, including his own, in a ruling on Friday by Justice Arthur F. Engoron. The decision comes after the state Attorney General Letitia James sued Mr. Trump, members of his family and his company in 2022. (NYTimes)
'‘Trump Fraud Trial Penalty Will Exceed $450 Million’
‘The ruling in Donald J. Trump’s civil fraud case could cost him all his available cash. The judge said that the former president’s “complete lack of contrition” bordered on pathological.’ (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/16/nyregion/trump-civil-fraud-trial-ruling.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WE0.87JN.6EzKNPV9opkY&smid=url-share
‘Trump Organization's History of Corporate Malfeasance’
‘In considering the need for ongoing injunctive relief, this Court is mindful that this action is not the first time the Trump Organization or its related entities has been found to have engaged in corporate malfeasance. Of course, the more evidence there is of defendants ongoing propensity to engage in fraud, the more need there is for the Court to impose stricter injunctive relief. This is not defendants first rodeo.’ (Civil Fraud Ruling, excerpt)
‘As Eric Trump testified, Donald Trump sat at the top of the pyramid of the Trump Organization until 2017. Donald Trump professed to know more about real estate than other people and to be more expert than anybody else. TT3487. He repeatedly falsified business records with the intent to defraud. See People v Gordon,23 NY3d643,650(2014) (Intent may be established by the defendant's conduct and the circumstances) People v Rodriguez, 17NY3d486,489 (Because intent is an invisible operation of the mind direct evidence is rarely available (in the absence of an admission) and it is unnecessary when there is legally sufficient circumstantial evidence of intent, “noting that intent can also be inferred from the defendant's conduct and the surrounding circumstances.)’ (Civil Fraud Ruling, excerpt)
'What the Civil Fraud Ruling Means for Trump’s Finances and His Empire'
'Justice Arthur F. Engoron’s decision could drain all of former President Donald J. Trump’s cash, and will set his family business reeling. ' (NYtimes) See gifted link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/16/nyregion/trump-fraud-trial-finances.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WE0.dsdU.Jqbxl7T-9pgO&smid=url-share
Thanks for the links, Fern. I save my gifted articles for when you run out.
Thank you, pal. I hope your weekend is good.
Thanks! My wife and I are on the coast for the long weekend!
😊😎☀️
It is Oregon. 🌧️ 💨 🌊 🥶 All that and absolutely wonderful.
May I be the 647th person to say you’re funny. Have a swell day and a half 💨👀💨
Thank you for gifting the article, Fern.
Thank you, Mark, for your attention to what I hope is the turning of the tide.
This is a pretty good overview of how Trump will pay the judgment.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/how-will-trump-pay-his-355-million-civil-fraud-judgment-2024-02-16/
Putin must have “Kompromat” on Trump and perhaps worse than the Steele Dossier. The fact that the GOP has remained silent on Alexey Navalny is beyond hideous. He speaks not only to the Russian people but to all people including us in the USA. Never would I believe a rapist, a philanderer, a liar, a cheat, a racist, a misogynist and traitor be supported by 40% of the country. This says something about the citizens of the United States. How can we be leaders and face the future if we inhabit a swamp of lies and misinformation.
however many they are, this is the most difficult and tragic question; are they suffering from mass delusion? Are they innocent victims of mass disinformation? Are they simply immoral, amoral, selfish and short-sighted? How and when did conservative values morph into evil?
Interesting question. I have watched the downward spiral of many of my friends as they have morphed from reasonable people to rabid MAGA followers. The disinformation and propaganda has turned off their ability to even consider another point of view.
I cannot for the life of me figure out how many of them have come to believe that Russia is now a favorable ally and government. They (most of them) are Vietnam and Cold War Veterans.
It seems that the Democrats are supportive of pay raises for the military and reforms to the VA. Am I mistaken?
I. have several friends who are ex-military and use the VA for their medical care. They complain about the VA and blame the Democrats for the issues with their health-care.
Is that your experience with your friends?
They blame Democrats for everything, which is just stunning.
Christopher, he may be supported in 40% of the land -but a lot of that land is filled with jack rabbits (hares) and coyotes, farmland and tractors, forests and deer. By people? tops 30% . There are a lot of people, who mesmerized by the dishonest mainstream media, are fed-up and dislike both contestants for the Presidency. With the help of the electoral college that could throw the race to trump and end our 'Great Experiment in Democracy'
The 40% you mention were given complete license to do whatever they wanted to women and POC from 1776 to 1965. And although federal laws are in now in place against rape, persecution in the workplace of women and POC, and corruption in business, rich white supremacist men rule the upper financial sectors of this country. And therefore rule those in leadership in this country.
Putin killed Navalny on the day the conference began aimed at ridding the world of Putin:
I wrote in 2021: "Only once in a generation does a leader come along -- like Gandhi or Mandela or Martin Luther King Jr. -- who puts his life on the line against tyranny. Navalny, only 44, has been cheating death at the hands of the Kremlin for years. He has been jailed, partially blinded, assaulted, released from jail after mass protests in 2013, then poisoned this summer, and jailed again month. The Russian “street” is still no match for Putin’s army of helmeted riot police or snowballs for bullets. This means that all the world can do is bear witness. And must. Navalny’s cause was just and his selflessness extraordinary.
It was noble … so suicidal, so Russian, so magnificent."
Diane, Navalny will become a hero in Russian lore…..Putin’s name will become a stain in its history. I saw an interview on MSNBC, Chris Hayes I think, speaking with someone who (my words) thought of Navalny as almost superhuman for surviving so many attempts on his life, only to emerge seemingly stronger, and was thus almost in disbelief that he didn’t this time.
Navalny is a martyr as you say, but everyday several hundred Russians soldiers are cannon fodder murdered by Putin but killed by Ukrainians. Most of them will die as unknown soldiers from the lowest private to the generals.
Most of us view them as the enemy and Navalny as a hero.
Gary, agree…such an indifference to the worth of his citizens to throw their lives away in pursuit of an egomaniacal vision. As I understand it, most of the conscripts come from ethnic groups w/in Russia, mostly in rural areas & generally far from major cities.
Yay! Kudos! Brava! Kamala. Now come home and shout it all here. We don't need an alliance of two criminals, Putin and Trump. We don't need their vituperative morons in Congress and the Supreme Court either.
Trump can't even run his Potemkin village of a business properly, and continues to be revealed as a fraud ( now proven in Court in a costly judgment.) He mustn't be be given the opportunity again to run this country.
It's been pointed out by others that he doesn't have the liquidity to pay off his more than a half billion dollars in fines, compensation to E. Jean Caroll, etc. -- not to mention other outstanding court actions as well as the ongoing IRS audit which may make him liable for another $100 million plus interest. Where will he get this money? There are heads of state around the world that would gladly be willing to conduct more business with him: money in exchange for information. And that's a horrifying thought.
EDIT: I just read that, assuming he's still around and becomes the Republican nominee, trompy will start receiving TOP SECRET intelligence briefings *in less than 6 months*. I bet the buyers are lined up with wrist bands.
Doug, that’s the scariest fact of today: Trump being given Top Secret papers because he is candidate for our highest office. We’re running out of time to stop the madness.
Trump is a grifter extrordinaire. He has real estate in many states across the country and around the world. He's already working on other grifts.
In the 1990s, when things got too hot in the USA for KKK Grand Wizard and GOP gadfly David Duke, he went for an homage to Hitler stay in Germany. When things got too hot in Germany, he moved to Russia, met Putin, and began touting him as the Great White Hope for Christian Nationalism. It has taken Charles Koch bagman and Catholic extremist Leonard Leo decades of Federalist Society, and now The Teneo Network, perversions of government to repurpose the American democratic republic as a clerical fascist state - from the top down - through his Supreme Court cronies and now through his legislative MiniMe Mike Johnson. Who's been called David Duke Lite. Meanwhile David Duke has worked from the bottom up, converting the Republican racist right wing religious extremist base to the cult of Vlad the Savior. Way before they elevated Putin fanboy Trump as the apotheosis of Christ Rambo. Now, master of disinformation Putin, sensing their ties might hinder Trump outside the GOP hardcore, and returning the favor for Trump obstructing US aid to Ukraine and opening the door for Russian attacks on NATO allies, has seemed to put his blood soaked fist on the scale for Biden. Seemed. Actually as a way of smearing Biden to help elect Trump. But that's not how it's being played. And Russia for the first time since May has taken a Ukrainian stronghold.
Please contact: House Republicans to get back to Congress; House Democrats to get on board with a dispatch petition for the supplemental aid bill; and members of the House Progressive Caucus to support the dispatch petition and the supplemental aid bill (and put to the test the National Security Memorandum which can halt delivery of appropriated funds to the criminal Netanyahu regime.) That way we can get aid to where it is needed. Especially Ukraine and Gaza.
Russian expansionism goes way back. Here's a cartoon map "Beware the Russian Octopus" from 1877. https://forgottenfiles.substack.com/p/beware-the-russian-octopus-1877
I grew up during the years of the Cold War and have never forgotten being taught that the goal of Russian Communists was world domination! They are still trying!
I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis from the vantage point of a 13 year old. JFK shared those frightening maps with arcs showing range of Russian missiles into US
Great cartoon. In the book Silk Roads, the Imperial dreams of Russia go Way back