Probably why Pres Trump looks to be handing financial aid over to Pres Putin...

More from the article ...

... The country's 2027-2029 state budget, which was approved Thursday in the rubber-stamp parliament on the first of three votes, is accompanied by a string of tax hikes announced after the September parliamentary elections.

While last year the Kremlin went for a broad tax increase, raising value-added taxes at the cash register and making more small businesses pay VAT, this cash grab hits a narrower segment: mining companies and better-off citizens with investment income, property sales and bank accounts.

The budget deficit this year has swelled beyond forecast s due to lavish military spending and tepid economic growth amid sanctions, high interest rates for non-military companies, labor shortages and Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries and export terminals.

The deficit hit 5.8 trillion rubles ($72 billion) through August, almost 50% higher than last year's figure and above the already revised target of 4.8 trillion rubles, according to the Kyiv School of Economics.
New taxes will hit mining companies and bank interest

The government proposes a 20%-30% windfall profits tax on mining companies that have benefited from prices that have risen since last year. That will hit companies producing iron ore, nickel and gold. Another measure imposes higher rates of 13% to 22% on income from interest, dividends and proceeds from selling property. Such income is currently taxed at 13% for amounts under 2.4 million rubles ($29,800) and 15% above that. ...

Apropos?

@#14 ... Trump, insecure and constantly in need of reassurance of his manhood ...

Perhaps he needs such reassurance because of a real attraction towards men?

I mean, why does he seem to frequently talk about admiring men's derrieres and their bodies?

What's up with that? (OK, that may not be the best question to ask...)

... Flávio Bolsonaro declared himself the "true president" of Brazil ...

Then, why did he flee to Miami?

Does a leader of a country run away from that country?

This does not bode well.

@#15 ... Pedo 47 just figured out there's a "b" in incumbent. ...

When do you figure he might realize that there is no "Trump" in Oval Office?

imo, January 2029 cannot arrive soon enough ...

@#10 ... I like JoJo From Jerz's take ...

Yeah, but what does she really think?

OK, I've read some more of her posts.

Wow.

I can no longer ask what she really thinks. She seems to be quite specific in the area of expressing her opinions.

:)

All that aside, her comment, cited in #10, does seem to be spot on.

@#1 ... Continuing the theme of "IPO risks that sound like they come from a science fiction novel," Anthropic spends a good deal of time discussing the possibility that its models could display "unexpected strategic or self-preserving behaviors" to prevent control from human operators. ...

Oh, this ain't good.

The Matrix is alive and looking to take over humanity.

Where is our Neo?

@#11 ... The fat orange chomo answers to the Kremlin. ...

The sad part of it is, that the approach is killing Americans who have volunteered to serve the Country.

... US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out the Pentagon's top planning officer as President Donald Trump weighs new strikes against Iran ...

You cannot allow longer-term planning to occur when the cult leader only wants short-term transactions.

Planning does not seem to fit in with the "what do I get out of this now" that Pres Trump seems to have.

@#3 ... Will they play the 9th? ...

If your current trolling alias is really interested, you can listen on WQXR streaming.

But my guess is that your comment is just yet another of its usual comments only trolling for replies.

So, yeah, it got one ...

@#14 ... Carville is a washed-up has-been. ...

Agreed.

He, currently, seems to be like, e.g., Mr Karl Rove, ... trying to be contrary to attain screen-time.

Strategists from a different era, still trying to seem to be relevant.

@#1 ... as part of an effort to "improve U.S.-Russia relations and help end the war." ...

So, how might Pres Putin view this latest bowing to him?

Will he view it as a posture of strength against him and suddenly change his goal that Ukraine should not exist as a country?

Or, might Pres Putin just see this latest effort by Pres Trump as yet another showing of Pres Trump bowing in front of Pres Putin?

More from the article ...

... The New York Times reported Tuesday that the Trump administration is reviewing a request to lift sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund, a multibillion-dollar state fund the Biden administration branded a "slush fund" for Russian President Vladimir Putin when it hit the fund with penalties days after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

A U.S. official confirmed to The Times that the Trump administration is assessing the fund's application through established channels as part of an effort to "improve U.S.-Russia relations and help end the war." The official praised the fund's chief, Kirill Dmitriev, as "a helpful envoy." ...

fwiw ...

WQXR is an awesome radio station in the NYC media area.

They broadcast classical music in a high-quality manner. And have done so for decades.

Competitors have come and gone, yet WQXR is still here.

@#13 ... Reporting the train was doing 124 mph when it hit. ...

Was the signalling infrastructure capable of dealing with such speeds?

@#1 ... He is actually working on behalf of Russia to defeat Ukraine. ...

Agreed. That seems to be becoming more and more obvious with each passing month.

@#9 ... he's also helping arm Iran by helping Russia. ...

Again, agreed.

Pres Trump seems to be actively helping Pres Putin to finance Iran's killing of American military and destroy American military installations in the Middle East.

@#5 ... They could do much better. ...

As I intimidated in my comment, I do not disagree.

CNN blew it here, imo.

Continuing imo, they could have gone with a rational conservative opiner. But I do understand that such a person may be difficult to find of late.

Still, PBS seems to be able to find such a person, why can't CNN do something similar?

@#18

I note there seems to be no comment on my #16.

So, my guess is that you think it is superfluous?

@#12 ... who staged the Maidan coup? ...

Since you asked (and I have posted this previously...)

... The Revolution of Dignity ..., also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,[2] took place in Ukraine in February 2014[a] at the end of the Euromaidan protests.[1]

Scores of protesters were killed by government forces during clashes in the capital Kyiv.

Parliament then voted to remove President Viktor Yanukovych, return to the 2004 Constitution of Ukraine, and call new elections.

The revolution prompted Russia to occupy Crimea, starting the Russo-Ukrainian war.[1][2]

In November 2013, a wave of large-scale protests known as "Euromaidan" began in response to President Yanukovych's sudden decision not to sign a political association and free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), instead choosing closer ties to Russia.

Euromaidan soon developed into the largest democratic mass movement in Europe since 1989.[29] The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) had overwhelmingly approved finalizing the EU association agreement;[30] Russia had pressured Ukraine to reject it.[31]

The scope of the protests widened, with calls for the resignation of Yanukovych and the Azarov government.[32] Protesters opposed what they saw as widespread government corruption and abuse of power, the influence of Russia and oligarchs, police brutality, human rights violations,[33][34] and repressive anti-protest laws.[33]...

... and ...

@#5 ... You guys haven't heard Trump is tied to 11 sexual assaults in those files? Where the ---- do you guys get your news? ...

The issue does not seem to be where ~we~ get our news, but Pres Trump's DoJ not releasing all the Epstein files as directed by Congress.