If your entire life had been on the cutting edge scientific research and your funding stopped because the country around you became hostile and as wary of scientists as Salem's Puritans were of so-called "witches", would you stay? And if universities or corporations in France, England, Germany, Sweden, Panama, Brazil, Israel, or Japan, etc, would welcome you, would you stay?

Lamplighter. Trump's been on the KGB list of potential influential Russian assets to be groomed since the 1970s when he began consorting with Ivana, his future wife, and the daughter of Czechoslovakian communist secret police informants. Don, Jr, learned just speak, fluent Czech from his secret communist informant grandfather.

All 3 of Ivana's Trump kids were fully dossiered by KGB allies their entire lives and groomed to trust the Russians as their friends. And knowing how well the KGB trained its agents to befriend and groom potential assets, one can only guess to what extremes the KGB & Putin would go to have s famous and "rich" bloviator like Trump groomed to become an asset.

Heck, when Trump's liquidity was in jeopardy, Putin had the Bank of Russia lend Trump 100s of millions, which is a sure way to get Trump's attention.

Trump would never have qualified for a security clearsnce but he has to have one. But it's a real risk to the free world letting him have one.

America should send Benedict Arnold Trump to Siberia to rot in some g*dd&mn Gulag!

Now he's encouraging his puppet master to pour on the bombs on Ukraine now that Ukraine isn't getting Patriot air defense systems and not getting any US satellite data and with Musk screwing around with Ukraine's Starlink comms. And Maxsr's now switched sides and giving Putin the satellite info that it had been giving to Ukraine!

What a great bloody negotiator the turncoat president is!

President "Benedict Arnold" Tchump will eventually be successfully impeached once the GOP understand he's a phony scam artist and a traitor to democracy's values.

That intro comment by Gal Tuesday is 100% accurate. Putin knows the weakness of Western democracies is the tension between uninformed voters who are swayed by simple emotional appeals to narrow interests and traditional "nerds" who understand the need for all of government's professional administrative parts.

For 40 years Russia's KGB & successor FSB has groomed Trump to be a strategic asset. It's a smashing success. Now Putin's invested in right-wing parties everywhere with growing success.

On those tariffs, the stock market just took a dive. What a vote of confidence on the economy of Dumbass & Dumber & Musk the Ghoul.

Time to swap our US/Ukraine lapel pins and start wearing Russian Federation lapel pins? President Benedict Arnold would like us to. He doesn't want Putin to have any doubt about Trump's turncoat commitment.

Trump is compromised. Ivanna, his first wife was the daughter of Yugoslavian KGB agents and the KGB had been grooming him for years. Ivana & Don's children have been dossiered by Russian intelligence their entire lives.

Maybe Trump owes Putin something, or maybe Putin has some dirt on Trump, or maybe it's just that Trump really likes murderous, lying, scheming Putin. But don't mistake Putin or Trump for being "communists". There's not an ounce of communist ideology in either.

I have no idea what it's like to be a uniformed member of today's military, or an ops or analysis employee of our intelligence organizations or a foreign service officer today. I have some contacts who might give me their impressions, but I can only guess there's a horrible feeling that the US has just entered an unprecedented danger zone.

With the President (POTUS) & VP aligned with the klepto-fascist leader of Russia and with the emerging dictator of Hungary (a pro-Putin leader of a NATO member) and with Moldova's rebellious pro-Putin Transnistria separatist leaders, NATO is in an existential crisis. The VP has already declared the US's nominally official support for Putin-backed AFD, insulting the leadership of Germany's conventional moderate left and moderate right political parties. Our Secretary of State has just disavowed his support for Ukraine's leader. And our National Intelligence leader has been suspected for years, with good cause, of being a pro-Putin Russian asset, and the confirmed chief of the FBi is a devout election denier, defender of Jan. 6 vandals and violent insurrectionists, and author of a public list of enemies to arrest that is ridiculously extensive and 100% sworn to "support and defend the Constitution of the US", and the confirmed SecDef having minimal organizational management experience and bearing a huge body tattoo of an anti-US extremist organization and having grownup and been educated in a white Christian nationalist sect. Which of those parts of America's National Security infracture is not screwed??

Add to those points the POTUS-authorized unconstitutional activities of man-child Elon Musk with a small army of non-cleared, non-appropriated executive branch (?) employees to hack into nearly every federal entity's databases and terminate the employment countless numbers of career civil servants, and to install who-knows what kinds of worms or key-logger bugs into the systems used by every one of these organizations.

If this isn't some Orwellian caricature of Stalin's government, it's then much worse than that.

Every Republican constitutional lawyer and Member of Congress who voted for Trump is now either too afraid to stand up to stop our emerging Trump dictatorship or trying to rationalize some way to legitimize it.

Already, an example has been made by Musk's illegal disestablishment of USAID. For American service members on duty in S. Korea or supporting USMC jet fighters in Kadena, Japan. They must wonder what this month's executive branch actions will lead to in their lives. And every intelligence operator must wonder if they need to turn against the allies they've been collaborating with or if their identities have already been compromised to Putin's security forces. Wtf!

And our months-ago international security allies must now wonder if any American national security agent can be trusted. Can US intelligence informations or tech be trusted? With America ostensibly allied with Putin and Russia, and with N. Korea, and right-wing Putin aligned political parties across Europe, how can our NATO allies work with their American "colleagues"?

I wonder how this will affect the work of US counter-terrorism and national security organizations. Trump proclaimed that a "million gold visas will generate a trillion" in revenue for the US. If this is his scheme to pay down the evergreen $7.5 trillion budget deficit that his tax cuts for billionaires will create, it's still a mirage. Mafiosi , international spies and plants, and terrorist leaders and autocrats from all over the world will become the beneficiaries of this open door to barely faithful investors.

After 34 years of service, 30 of them as a commissioned officer, I have to say that I never met any son or daughter or grandchild of billionaires in any military branch, and the # of recent descendants of multimillionaires were less than could count on two hands. And in civilian life yet these entitled uber-wealthy citizens generally feel that their "contribution" to US society is of greater value than any poor person's sons, daughters or grandkids that have been (or even died) in service in the Mideast sandbox or Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.

As far as we can see, a billionaire's wealth is fungible, and like Trump did, their wealth can cross borders easily or be hidden by creative accounting. The US financial system allows wealth of billionaires and multi-millionaires to be untouched by the IBDI scheme - invest, borrow, die, inherit. This allows legacy wealth to accrue and pass on generationally without incurring taxes.

When I see billionaire owners of casinos making huge campaign contributions to right wing "nationalist" politicians in exchange for big tax breaks, or lucrative government contracts, or once highly regarded civilian awards it cheapens every veteran's service as am indicator of who is really appreciated in this country under Trump.

The Republican Party needs to get a spine. It's never bren more clear that Trump's values aren't America's. He acts and spesks ss if a miniature Putin is sitting in his shoulders telling him ehat to do to get control of the GOP, then the US government to drive America's democracy into crisis.

Any international affairs experts here? For the life of every living veteran, the fortunes of Europe and America were generally paired. And Russia went form being the "evil empire" under Reagan to the country with a chance of becoming a market economy democracy under Clinton, to the country whose leader GW Bush was able to see decency "in his and then back to being the evil empire in the 2010s under Obama with Russia's land grab of Georgia's Abkahzia region and Ukraine's Crimea and western parts of Luhansk and Donetzk Oblasts and failed attempt to destroy Mariupol.

Trump 45 almost sold Ukraine under the bus, but better senses prevailed. Then Russia invaded Ukraine again, aiming for Kyiv and Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporhizhia, and Mariupol and bombing civilian apartment buildings and homes, hospitals, churches, children's centers, and supermarkets and other stores. They kidnapped a generation of children, and have continue to murder civilians in Kherson for no military purpose, just to be evil. SO, until this week, throughout the free world, Muscovy was again the undisputed "Evil Empire"!

So to my State Dept. DIA, and DOD pals, what gives with America's leadership suddenly declaring Zelensky the "dictator", but not Putin, and our treaty-making team fawning over Russia's Lavrov and opening the vault doors to take anything they wanted from Ukraine? I can't make sense of this unless kleptofascist dictator Putin's awfully blackmailed Trump, or it's that Trump might be the "Muscovy President", funded by Moscow to destroy NATO (and America) and in fulfillment of his real mission: "To Make Russia Great Again". Hmm?

In 20219-20, Trump and Pompeo met the Taliban in Qatar to independently capitulate at the expense of the Afghan government. Is the Trump-Waltz's intention with Russia in Saudi Arabia to repeat a unilateral American capitulation to the bad guys? Seems like that's where this is heading.

Would anyone with inside info on what we who regarded NATO as the driver of a rules based world order should do now that our country doesn't stand for that, but seem to be aiming for a world order of hungry wolves eating the spawn of the lambs around them? How do we American warriors for democracy and free economies rationalize this about face that makes enemies of our allies and makes emenies our new friends?

What a disgrace! After post-Soviet Russia was welcomed into the G7, making it the G8, Russia had a chance to join the world of democracies and market-driven economies. But then, after Yeltsin's retirement, Putin rose to power and soon after his KGB buddies became leaders of Russia's industry and Orthodox Church. What happened next is as expected. Private ownership by former KGB officers meant that these industries were no longer public nor open to private investors. Nor were the owners free from government influence. Their owners existed only with the consent of the leader, essentially helping Russia develop into a fascist state, where corporations support the single leader and his objectives. If these "oligarchs" would defy their leader (Putin), a ticked off Putin could lead to an "accidental" window fall that might likely kill you.

It's beyond any US veteran's comprehension that Russia could be considered the good guy. With Putin in power for the past 22 years, he's neither someone who shares the West's values of plural governance or polity, nor the morality of any modern nation. Instead Putin believes in government that obeys the dictates of a single "leader" whose institutions supporting him broach no dissent, nor any bad press. He also believes that industry has to follow his desires and the leaders of industry have to operate with the supreme leader's consent.

So, Putin's Russia has become a fascist kleptocracy -- a sham-democracy, nearly fully separated its predecessor, a semi-fascist "communist" Soviet Union. As early as 2008, Putin told then-President George W Bush that "Ukraine is not a country". Since then, Putin has asserted that there is no such thing as a Ukrainian people separate from Russia.

"These claims were designed to deny the existence and agency of the Ukrainian nation," Erik Herron, a West Virginia University political scientist and author of the book Elections and Democracy after Communism, told PolitiFact in 2022.

Yet, the history of Ukraine has involved several empires or states, some of which were entirely separate from Russia, Eugene Finkel, an associate professor with Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, told PolitiFact on the eve of the war.

Putin set the table for the 2022 invasion with a 5,000-word essay in July 2021. In it, he argued that much of modern-day Ukraine occupies historically Russian lands and that "Russia was robbed" of them. Putin's essay blamed the conflict on the West, claiming that the protest-driven ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, an ally of Russia, was engineered from the outside and that the Ukrainian government elected in 2014 was illegitimate.

Wow!

What an "offer Zelensky cannot refuse!"

This tactic must have been learned when studying "Extortion & Grifting 101" at the vaunted & famous "Trump University".

Wonder if his instructor was John Gotti or Bernardo Provenzano? Either way, Trump & Putin are two peas in a pod. Hard to tell them apart.

Achtung! Alle, die den obersten Fhrern gegenber illoyal sind, werden vom Reich verfolgt.

auf obersten Befehl:
- Elon und Donald.

Achtung!!
Ze Gestapo now hast deine records. Zey know who you are, und vether you are loyal to zer Reich! Bevare!! Zey vill audit alles who vork (albeit) fr den liberal programs und who do not like dee Frher!!

Achtung! " alle, die den obersten Fhrern gegenber illoyal sind, werden vom Reich verfolgt.
- auf obersten Befehl:
- Elon und Donald.

Don't MAGAns call non-MAGA protesters "snowflakes"? Looks as if a MAGA nerve was touched. Who thunk tough, mean, uncompassionate MAGA toughies had their feelings hurt by a satirical skit performed by an Academy Award-winning thespian?

The poor snowflakes!

Putin is a fascist. A kleptofascist to be more accurate. But a shrewd one. His KGB training was successful but he did not count on Ukraine fighting back nor on NATO getting larger. As a result, Russia had at least 2 million educated, prime working age men leave Russia to avoid conscription and another 1/2 million men died in combat or have lost so much mobility they might be forever unemployed. Russia's rouble is tanking and inflation rampant with borrowing rates over 20%.

But Putin had faith in Trump and Trump certainly seems ready to deal with Putin and give Putin a lifeline. What sort of quid pro quo will Trump want from Putin? Something fishy & no good. What will Putin ask for in return? Any ideas? When two mafia dons make deals, everyone loses.

If anyone could think hard about how Trump has done so much crap in 3 weeks is because there has been a small army of ultra nationalist anti-government experts scheming for Trump for over 3 years. The Stop The Steal extremists that included so many of his cabinet nominees meets billionaire fascists and kleptocrats. So is Project 2025 all that is behind this whirlwind of crazy nominees, seemingly stream of consciousness drivel and creating chaos within federal agencies and the international community? Probably not.

Trump's off the cuff remark that "if elected there'd be no more need to worry about elections" isn't a harmless meaningless utterance. He's running the table with his nominees as they get confirmed. Next is Cash Patel who has the most convoluted financial disclosure statements, and has hated the FBI his entire life in the US. If Patel's nomination isn't rejected the march into American fascism will speed up double time.

Ultimately, Trump will be able to instigate enough turmoil that he might feel justified to declare martial law and accelerate his war on America. But only 30% of the US public thinks Trump's view for the country's right wing is OK. That 30% seems willing to start a civil war against the rest of America.

If Trump declares martial law, where will the guardrails be to constrain him? What is Congress doing to prepare for this potential debacle? They'd better prepare because this is the well-planned plot that Trump's schemers have been working on.

Who here is ready for martial law under Trump and Vance? How long do you think it would take for Trump's cabinet and his GOP cronies in Congress to instigate a situation that would allow Trump to invoke martial law?

Accept the risk that is part of the larger plan. If this administration does enough through its vile Cabinet appointees and DOGE & Trump & Vance & the SCOTUS majority to provoke his opponents into ever more vociferous protests all around the country.

That's already been happening like clockwork. Now add in 1500 Jan 6 convicts who are all out of jailed getting the code word to counter anti-Trump protests and provoke violence at these 50 state demonstrations. SECDEF Hegseth will nationalize national guards across the country to suppress dissent. And the chaotic DOGE process will throw enough Americans to step up their militancy in protest.

Bang!

At some point, Trump will tell his National Security Council that the cities across America are too problematic that he MUST declare martial law. And how will that end?

With unfaithful politicians on the protest lines thrown in jail and having their security clearances pulled, with military officers resisting martial law indicted for treason, along with AOC and Schiff and Raskin.

Once Trump declares martial law say goodbye to the America as we know it.

If only moderate GOP senator's who are rubber-stamping Trump's caninet nominees' appointments understood the precarious situation they are ensbling.

Congress will likely eventually pass an Omnibus spending bill and that Project 2025's creators will generally like and that Trump will sign into law.

So the only ways to erase DOGE from existence would include either: 1) explicit action by Congress to require DOGE to retake USDS's original mission in order for DOGE to be funded in this fmFY (fat chance!); or 2) for the courts to determine that DOGE is a misappropriation of funds specifically intended to carryout the mission of USDS. Could a Dem caucus file such a lawsuit without some GOP support? Probably, Congress's GOP majority might then retroactively pass a law approving the demise of USDS's mission and the reappropriation of 2025 funds to DOGE's mission? This is DEFINITELY what the Democratic leadership must force the GOP caucus into doing.

Why? Because, if a FY 2025 budget law is passed that misses the step to retroactively repurpose USDS's funds to serve DOGE's specifically & legally delineated purposes, call your senators & Congress members and insist that the administration be sued for misappropriating federal budget monies. It could eventually force Congress to vote on DOGE's new mission, which probably would not erase DOGE, but it would force it to be created legally by Congress and give Congress a say in its mission and give Congress oversight over USDS's successor entity.

Since the previous Congress ended its session under a continuing resolution, does this Executive Branch have power to repurpose USDS's mission and to use USDS's previously authorized funding?

Congress could challenge the misappropriation of USDS's funding and de-facto disestablishment of USDS with an entirely repurposed agency. But would the current (Trump-cowering) GOP-dominated Congress stand up to Trump when it finally approves a FY-2025 budget bill?

Superficialky, it seems that the Jan. 20 Executive Order that created DOGE (www.whitehouse.gov) is legal even though DOGE takes for itself all the funds previously appropriated to the executive branch's US Digital Service (USDS) agency, because the first paragraphs imply this to be an organizational name change.

This is where DOGE's legality is questionable. The replacement of the Congressionally approved and funded USDS should be legally challenged on the grounds that the mission of DOGE is incredibly different from USDS's, which was to make federal agencies' software and internet systems more customer-friendly and effective. This isn't Trump's Executive Order's purpose for DOGE. What DOGE is doing is almost certainly not what any previous Congress appropriated budget funds to USDS to do.