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Trump: US Has Total Control of Hormuz (August 2026)
www.newsmax.com

... President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States "has total control over the Strait of Hormuz," adding, "I think we will keep it." ...

More from the article ...

... At the outset, it should be noted that in other liberal democracies, it would be -- and has been -- considered a violation of the rule of law for political leaders to dictate who is, or is not, to be criminally investigated or prosecuted.[4] It was likewise seen as contrary to the rule of law when President Richard Nixon pursued those on his enemies list. "I can only conclude from Mr. Nixon's actions that he considers himself above the law," Senator Floyd Haskell stated at the time.

But the firewalls erected ------------- to insulate the Department of Justice from the White House have now been breached. Furthermore, some suggest that no such walls could constitutionally be erected.[5] Channeling this view, the Trump administration has taken the position not only that any "norms" regarding the independence of the Department of Justice are no longer operative, but that -- in the words of Todd Blanche, Trump's attorney general and former personal lawyer -- the American people should be "happy" that Trump is directly involved in the Department of Justice's decisions, since it shows he is fulfilling his constitutional duty.

One's happiness in this regard may be tempered, however, by considering the Department of Justice's own Manual, which succinctly explains why such involvement by the president is contrary to the rule of law:

The rule of law depends upon the evenhanded administration of justice. The legal judgments of the Department of Justice must be impartial and insulated from political influence. It is imperative that the Department's investigatory and prosecutorial powers be exercised free from partisan consideration. It is a fundamental duty of every employee of the Department to ensure that these principles are upheld in all of the Department's legal endeavors.

Likewise, the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) -- an international organization of which the United States is a member -- has "insisted on the need to ensure the autonomy of the prosecution service" and "warned against reporting to political authorities regarding the investigation of individual cases." This applies "whether prosecutors are functionally independent or hierarchically subordinated to the executive."

In short, if the Constitution requires the president to be the chief prosecutor, that requirement conflicts with fundamental precepts of the rule of law.[6] It is not our purpose, however, simply to reemphasize that point, or to repeat the arguments against this constitutional interpretation.[7] Instead, we assume that, as the Supreme Court has held, the president is the chief prosecutor under the Constitution and consider the implications of that holding.

We begin by showing that Trump has enthusiastically embraced this role.

We then ask -- given this embrace -- what are the consequences for criminal prosecutions, particularly those in which the president has direct involvement?

In other words, when the president acts as chief prosecutor -- when he decides or directs who is to be criminally investigated or prosecuted -- what are his responsibilities?

And when he deviates from those responsibilities, when should it void the prosecution or give the prosecuted another remedy? ...


www.mic.com

This Tweet From a 'Huffington Post' Editor Shows the Problem With White Feminism

Another view ...

SpaceX Starlink cuts hobbled Ukraine before Russian bombardment
nationalpost.com

... Restrictions on Ukraine's use of SpaceX's satellite technology came just weeks after its forces relied on the network for a surprising and successful counter-offensive that retook critical territory from Russian forces.
Article content

The temporary limits landed ahead of a fresh Russian bombardment, hobbling Ukraine's air defense interceptors -- which rely on a militarized version of SpaceX's Starlink known as Starshield -- and spurring a blame game as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused President Donald Trump and SpaceX chief Elon Musk of allowing it to happen.

Amid fresh outrage from U.S. lawmakers about the Russian attack and simmering White House frustration about Kyiv's long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities, what was less obvious was just how essential the Starshield platform was to Ukraine's recent efforts pushing back Russian forces inside its own territory.

That campaign -- known as Operational Vivaldi -- concluded this month after liberating more than a dozen Ukrainian settlements, preventing Russian forces from capturing all of the crucial Donetsk region. Ukrainian forces used the satellite terminals to remotely drive drones, bombs and robots both into and behind the Kremlin's forces, where they destroyed heavily fortified positions and isolated Russia's logistics hubs.
Article content

The unit responsible said last month that Starlink was the primary platform it used to carry out the operation.

"We're dependent on Starlink to maintain connectivity of our people, command centers, soldiers, drones," said John Roberts, a senior U.S. military adviser to the Ukrainian third army corps, which launched Vivaldi. "As a product we love it and want to keep using it. There's not an alternative that's as easy to use." ...

[emphasis mine]

Update ...

Trump issues order to bypass Russian sanctions in bill named for late Lindsey Graham
www.politico.com

... The move allows Moscow to dodge harsh economic measures intended to pressure the Kremlin over the war in Ukraine and enables sale of Russian diesel.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving key sanctions outlined in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act, significantly dulling the tool Congress handed him to pressure Moscow to the negotiating table.

"I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act," Trump wrote in the order. "I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States."

Trump signed the bill into law last month, culminating a more than one-year-long effort spearheaded by the legislation's namesake, late Sen. Lindsey Graham, an ally of the president and Russia hawk who died in July.

Critics saw it as further evidence of Trump siding with Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that has resulted in an estimated 1.4 million casualties. ...


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