Breaking Fake News Update (v12)

 Fake News Broke on August 20, 2025!

This fake news broke after a video of President Zelenskyy's reactions to the FOTUS, who babbled on and on about his federal occupation of our nation's capital, went viral.

Only an idiot would sit next to a commander-in-chief whose country is actively engaged in an over three-year battle with an aggressor nation and pretend that there's no place on earth more dangerous than Washington, DC. 

Sadly - and I sure wish this was fake news - that idiot is our idiot, much to our embarrassment.

We'll cover more fake news as it breaks - and you can be sure it will.

Breaking Fake News Update (v10)

 Fake News Broke on August 17, 2025!

This news broke after what looked to be a 'summit about nothing,' when Vladimir Putin and FOTUS appeared after their shortened meetings at what was thought to be a press conference, but turned out to be the two of them talking about how they didn't accomplish anything and how much of nothing was accomplished (and maybe they'll meet in Moscow next time, said the English-speaking dictator!). 

After the summit, it was announced that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, would be returning to the Goldoval Office to meet with FOTUS. We soon learned several European leaders would be joining him, in a show of solidarity after the American dropped his demand for a ceasefire in the war, something he had long said was necessary. 

It was also a show of solidarity after the Ukrainian's last meeting deteriorated when the children in the room took control. FOTUS barked about who was holding the cards, JD Vance demanded to know why Zelenskyy had never said 'thank you' to his boss (a man he said could be America's Hitler), and a moronic reporter chastised him for not wearing a suit. 

Well, he came prepared this time, Zelenskyy did. He showed them! He had the suit, he had the cards, and he gave FOTUS a medal - that's a foreign policy trifecta right there!

There'll be more fake news, and we'll have it for you. 

Breaking Fake News Update (v5)

   Fake News Broke on August 11, 2025!

This news broke as preparations for the Alaska (or is it Russia?) summit with Vladimir Putin were being fleshed out. FOTUS was offering up ideas on how to end the war in his usual, um, straightforward manner, including possibly giving up some of America's riches buried in Alaska, or Ukraine's riches, without having discussed that with anyone before doing 'the weave.'  

At the same time, he was attacking two of his favorite women of color, both of whom live rent-free in his head, especially since they're from two of his favorite blue states. The combination made this silly post a piece of cake.

We will continue to share fake news as it breaks.  

Wondering on Wednesday 12/21/22

Ready... Set... Wonder!

Where to begin tonight's wonder-full meandering? Let's start in DC, where there's been lots of news. 

• The January 6th Committee made a criminal referral to the DOJ for former president Donald Trump, for obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to defraud the USA; conspiracy to make a false statement, and conspiracy to defraud the US by assisting or comforting those involved in an insurrection. Everyone's wondering if anything will come of the referrals, or if Jack Smith, the special counsel, will continue on his merry way without the Committee's help.

• John Eastman, a law professor and attorney, was also named in a criminal referral to the DOJ, for obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the US. Eastman was the guy who pitched Trump on the hare-brained scheme of having former VP Mike Pence refuse to count the electoral votes and, in effect, throw out the election. Will Eastman be disbarred, I wonder? Will he be charged based on the referral? That seems perhaps more likely than Trump being charged, but again, there's Smith, so...

• It also referred four House members - Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Scott Perry (R-PA) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ) - to the House Ethics Committee for failing to speak to the Committee, and for subsequently refusing to comply with its subpoenas. Does anyone wonder why there weren't more of them? And does anyone think, for a minute, that anything will come of it, now that the Rs are taking over the House?

• Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy is speaking to the Congress, and to the country, from the floor of the House, the first wartime leader since Churchill to do so. The applause has been long, and loud, and I wonder if the doubters, like McCarthy, will be moved by his words? Will they continue the support, or pull back? 

• Marjory Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert are catfighting on social media. I don't wonder anything about that, other than Bobo's saying that she doesn't believe in Jewish Space Lasers. Is that supposed to make us think more of her?

• Members of the House still don't appear to be aligned behind McCarthy's bid to be House Speaker and in fact some are trying to ensure they can remove him, before they'll vote for him. I do wonder if anyone's going to put forward the "let's have Trump be Speaker!" rubbish that was floated in the past? 

• The Senate, in a bipartisan move, passed a nearly $1.7 trillion bill that would fund the government through September 30th, the end of the current fiscal year. The bill would also reform the 1887 Electoral Count Act, making it harder for another fiasco like the one which ended with criminal referrals from the January 6th Committee. I'm fine with them doing both of these things, but specifically on the ECA, I used to wonder if we needed to do legislation to prevent "another Trump," but sadly I'm convinced that the cat's out of the bag, and we have no assurances that there won't be another one.

• The House Ways and Means Committee voted to release several years of Donald Trump's taxes, including one year showing he paid less in federal tax than I spend for a month of groceries; given he's a billionaire and I'm a thousandaire, I can't help wondering what I'm doing wrong.

• Also, we learned that the IRS didn't audit Trump's taxes during his first two years as president, even though their guidelines require audits of all presidents and vice presidents during their tenure. Wonder how that happened - was it the Deep State leftists who controlled the government that kept the IRS from doing their jobs, or was it... Mnuchin??? 

Elsewhere?

• Elon Musk polled Twitter users to see if he should stay CEO of the company; over 57% said no. I wonder how many of his followers are Tesla stock owners? Pretty sure they would all have been in the 'hell no' bucket, given how the value of their stock has tanked since Musk's whole Twitter distraction started.

• Neil Schon of the band Journey has filed a cease-and-desist order against Jonathan Cain for playing Don't Stop Believin' when Cain appears at Trump events. Cain's married to televangelist and Trump 'spiritual advisor' Paula White, so he's been in MAGA-land for a while now. If anyone was wondering, the odds of there being a Journey reunion tour are about as good as the odds of Trump being reinstated as winner of the 2020 election.

• Saturday is Christmas Eve; I'll get out our special 'cookies for Santa' plate, pile on a few treats for him and the reindeer, and leave the plate on the mantel, like we always do. And, as sure as I'm sitting here, most of the goodies will be gone when we get up in the morning. I never wonder about that.

What's on your wondering mind tonight?

Sunday School 4/17/22

For this week's Sunday School, I've got three hot topics from three different classrooms. First up? Margaret Brennan, chatting with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Elaware) about COVID relief on Face the Nation. 

Coons said he was "disappointed" that Congress couldn't get their act together and "deliver critically-needed global help," and get vaccines to the three billion or so people who haven't had a single shot yet. He mentioned the kind of sentiment the Senate is up against. 

As we were fighting over this additional payment, this additional funding for Covid relief globally, one of my colleagues memorably said, well, my constituents are done with this pandemic. Margaret, just because we're done with the pandemic doesn't mean it's done with us.

Coons said he respects the goal of finding offsets to pay for this, 

but in a moment when we badly need additional emergency funding to support the Ukrainian military resistance against Russian aggression, to support millions of refugees in Ukraine and around the region, in Europe and throughout the world, and to provide food relief and additional COVID relief, I think we should treat this as emergency spending.

He also thinks that immigration and COVID relief are separate issues, even if some of his party think they should be somehow tied together.

Finally, Brennan pointed to recent comments where Coons said that we need to talk about when we might be willing to send troops to fight in Ukraine, and "if the answer is never, then we are inviting another level of escalation and brutality by Putin." 

She wondered if he thinks Biden was wrong when he said we wouldn't send troops, or if he was looking for Biden to draw a red line somewhere on this issue. Coons feels if Putin is allowed "to commit war crimes throughout Ukraine" without any forceful action by NATO and the West, he thinks we'll see Ukraine "turn into Syria."

The American people cannot turn away from this tragedy in Ukraine. I think the history of the 21st century turns on how fiercely we defend freedom in Ukraine, and that Putin will only stop when we stop him.

Referencing the religious significance of the weekend, he suggested that when so many of us gather to "celebrate the very best in the human spirit: and grieve those we've lost,

we should also be prayerful and mindful of those who are fighting for freedom in Ukraine and how much their heroism and patriotism inspires the rest of us.

Next, we've got Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Tone Deaf in the Mar-a-Lago Tool Shed), who talked with host Mike Emanuel in the Fox News Sunday classroom. Here's what McCarthy said, after being welcomed back to the show. 

Thank you, and happy Easter to all Americans.

Um, I hate to break it to him, but "all Americans" don't celebrate Easter; many celebrate Passover and Ramadan. Many also celebrate chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, or spring. And still others of us don't celebrate a damn thing this weekend. I'm guessing he doesn't care much at all about the non-Easter people.

I almost gave up after that, but decided to hold my nose and keep listening. At some point, the discussion turned to Ukraine, and McCarthy's complaints that President Biden "acted too slowly" on, well, everything. After noting that we've now sent $2.6B in military assistance to Ukraine, Emanuel asked what more Biden should be doing. McCarthy babbled about all of his own efforts to get something done before Russia attacked, and he said

Had we moved the weapons to Ukraine earlier, that they could defend themselves, it would have saved thousands of lives and probably the decision of Putin not to enter.

All that aside, 

...what we need to do is learn from here, provide the weapons to Ukraine, but also look to the future of what China is doing. Taiwan has been waiting more than a year for weapons they've already purchased to defend themselves.

If you know me, you know I can't let a comment like that pass without doing some research. Meaning, I did a really simple search. And yes, it's true: Taiwan is waiting for weapons they've purchased from us. 

According to this article in Defense News,  there's "a backlog in the U.S. delivering $14.2 billion worth of military equipment to Taiwan that the island has purchased since 2019."

Wait - what's that? The backlog existed before Biden even took office? 

However, it remains unclear what — if anything — the United States can do to address the pandemic-related acquisition issues that prompted the backlog. “Our primary issue — and we see this playing out in Ukraine also — is that the industry has been delayed in the development of these systems,” a Republican staffer on the House Foreign Affairs Committee told Defense News. 

And there's nothing the Biden administration can do? And the same issues are hindering our efforts to help Ukraine? Good lord, if I didn't know better, I'd think McCarthy was lying when he blamed Biden.

The staffer also noted the U.S. defense industry has attributed supply chain issues, staff shortages and shipping delays to COVID-19 — problems that have cascaded into broader production troubles. 

Wait, wait, wait. It's the pandemic, the one the Rs took a hands-off approach to mitigating, that's now making a mess of things in democracies like Ukraine and Taiwan? 

“Honestly, the bottom line is there is very little that the government can do at this juncture to address supply chain issues,” Rupert Hammond-Chambers, the president of the US-Taiwan Business Council, told Defense News. 

I'm shocked - completely shocked... (that's a lie, by the way. I'm not shocked at all.) 

McCarthy said the Rs are not over-confident about winning back the House, but he said they need to do more than just criticize, they must commit to making changes and fixing the big problems. Emanuel asked if they could do that - tackle the national debt, for example - with a divided government. 

We need to have sound fiscal policy, stop the irresponsible spending to curve inflation and make America in a stronger path. But it's not just to balance the budget, you have to pay off the debt. And the only way we'll be able to do that is with fiscal responsibility, with Republicans in the majority.

And I laughed and laughed at that, I really did.

Let's close on a positive note, and spend a moment or two with Jake Tapper, who played parts of his exclusive interview with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on CNN's State of the Union. 

Tapper mentioned the politicians who annually express a 'never again' sentiment on Holocaust Remembrance Day - and he wondered if those words rang hollow to Zelenskyy, who lost ancestors in the Holocaust. "When the world says, 'never again,' do they ever mean it?" He doesn't think so, not after what they've seen in his country. Through his translator, said

The only belief there is, is belief in ourselves, in our people, belief in our armed forces, and the belief that countries are going to support us, not just with their words, but with their actions. And that's it. Never again. Really, everybody is talking about this, and yet, as you can see, not everyone has got the guts.

Tapper and Zelenskyy chatted about their kids. Zelenskyy has an 18-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son. Tapper has a 12-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter. Zelenskyy said

Girl? So, you understand me, 14-year-old girl. TAPPER: Yes. ZELENSKYY: We understand. TAPPER: Yes. I call my daughter, and she's like: "Can't talk, dad. Very busy." (LAUGHTER) ZELENSKYY: Not now. (LAUGHTER) TAPPER: "I'm very busy." ZELENSKYY: Yes, I know it's -- without knocking the door, I can't speak with my own daughter. TAPPER: Right. Right. ZELENSKYY: That's good.

I chuckled at that; with teenaged girls (I was one once, so I can say this), you don't have to be in a war zone to sometimes feel like you're in one. And I appreciated that Zelenskyy could enjoy a bit of normal, dad-to-dad talk.

On a more serious note, Zelenskyy acknowledged that he might not survive this war. Tapper wondered how he wanted the Ukrainian people, and his children, to remember him.

A human being that lived life to the fullest and loved his family and loved his motherland, definitely not a hero. I want people to take me as I am, a regular human.

And in response to the "not a hero" comment, Tapper wondered who Zelenskyy's heroes were, and where he draws inspiration "during dark days here?" 

Only the people. I believe our people are genuine and unique. And I just can't afford to be worse than them. When, at certain moments, I feel like all of this is dangerous. I understand that all the rest of us are going through this as well, what people are feeling like who are in basements, who lost their children, what our soldiers feel like right now. And I understand I have to be the strongest one in this situation. And this is all. And the most important is the way my children look at me. They have to be proud of me. This is the most important thing. I do everything for this.

Wouldn't it be nice if any of our politicians could articulate that the next election wasn't the most important thing in the world? I'd be willing to vote for anyone who could say that with a straight face, if they could back it up with their record, their policies, and the wear and tear proving they've walked the talk, wouldn't you?

See you around campus.

OrangeVerse LX: The World According to Me

When you're a twice-impeached former president searching for relevance, you can always find willing accomplices in the media. There's your Most Favored Networks, of course and there's the always-willing ears working for other media outlets. 

You know, like the Washington Post, which published a recap of an interview just this week. 

And there's people like me, who transform those boring interviews into something much more, I don't know, literarily significant. Poetry, that is. Purely orange poetic gold, or something.

Here's the latest, from the WaPo interview, starting with his take on the attack on the Capitol.

Too Blind to See

I thought it was a shame, 

and I kept asking 

why isn’t she doing 

something about it? 

Why isn’t Nancy Pelosi 

doing something about it? 

And the mayor of DC also. 

The mayor of DC and Nancy Pelosi

 are in charge. 

I hated seeing it. 

I hated seeing it. 

And I said, it's

got to be taken care of, 

and I assumed they were

taking care of it.

Others were supposed to take care of his mess - and a bigly mess it was.

January 2017 Was Big, But...

The crowd was far bigger 

than I even thought. I believe it was the

 largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. 

I don’t know what that means

but you see very few pictures.

They don’t want to show pictures, 

the fake news doesn’t want 

to show pictures.

But this was a 

tremendous 

crowd.

About that gap in the White House call logs, when the gals were  in charge?

Phone Calls? Who Cares?

From the standpoint of 

telephone calls, I don’t 

remember getting very 

many. Why would I care 

about  who called me? 

If congressmen were 

calling me, what 

difference did it make? 

There was nothing 

secretive about it. 

There was no secret.

Let's move on to foreign policy stuff...

People, People Thinking NATO

A lot of people 

are a little bit surprised,

I think they’re 

very impressed with Ukraine, 

but they’re not impressed

 with what NATO is doing, 

because a lot of people

 think NATO 

could be doing more.

Volodymyr, My Dear

I liked Zelenskyy 

from the beginning for 

one reason. When we

had the impeachment 

hoax, based on a perfect 

phone call, he totally backed 

me up, and I didn’t ask 

him to do that. They asked him, 

and he said, he absolutely did 

nothing wrong. He said there 

was no quid pro quo. 

He didn’t even know what 

his people were talking about. 

He thought they were crazy...

 So I gained great respect for him there.

And there was the part about the stolen election.

 

I'm the Diamond; Put Me Back

But I believe when you

 see massive election fraud, 

I can’t imagine that somebody 

who won the election based on fraud,

 that something doesn’t happen? 

How has it not happened? 

If you are a bank robber, 

or you’re a jewelry store robber,

 and you go into Tiffany’s and

 you steal their diamonds

 and get caught, 

you have to

give the 

diamonds 

back.

In what I think is a first for a former American president, Trump has expanded his reach to endorsing foreign candidates, including Hungary's Viktor Orban.

All Hail the King

After I endorsed him

he went up like

a rocket ship.

These other leaders

they want endorsements.

I'm the king of endorsements. 
It's more than just this country

It's other countries.

You'll see. 

Finally, what does he see when he looks in his crystal golf ball?

No Doubt

If I ran, 

I can’t imagine 

they’d want to run. 

Some out of loyalty would have 

had a hard time running. 

I think that most of 

those people, 

and almost every 

name you mentioned, 

is there because of me. 

In some cases, 

because I backed 

them and endorsed them. 

You know Ron was at 3 percent, 

and the day I endorsed him, 

he won the race.

As soon as I endorsed 

him, the race was over.

I have a good relationship 

with Ron, I have a good relationship 

with all the names you mentioned. 

Would they run against me? 

I doubt they would run 

against me. I doubt it.

I don't want to comment

on running, but I

think a lot of people

are going to be very

happy with my decision.

Because it's a little boring now.

Nobody likes 'boring,' do they?

In Case You Missed It (v81)

Trying to get back in the 'writing-on-a-schedule' swing of things, including doing the weekly post recap. In case you missed anything, I've got you covered for last week.

It started with a Sunday School post, where we listened to a handful of senators talk about what's going on in the world, and here at home. Touching on both of those was Idaho's Sen. Jim Risch, who pointed out how difficult it is to vote on legislation these days. 

Speaking to Fox's Brett Bair, Risch noted he voted against the omnibus spending bill that was just passed, even though it included a boatload of billions for Ukraine, something he supports, and a boatload of billions in pork, something he doesn't.

Whenever we have these doggone big bills, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't, whether you vote yes or no. But I -- I have -- I hope that no one would take this as not being the support for -- for the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian war.

Several guests gave their thoughts on a decision, shared by Biden administration types who were also in the classrooms, on not helping Poland provide Russian-made fighter planes to Ukraine.  To provide some context for that, I included highlights from those interviews in a Sidebar. Here's a taste, from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan:

Our goal is to support Ukraine and their negotiations with Russia and our allies, but "ultimately, it is Ukraine that will have to make its own sovereign decisions about the shape of any diplomacy going forward."

There was some good discussion from the panel on ABC's This Week, which made it into your Extra Credit entry. Some of the back-and-forth had to do with Russia and Ukraine and WWIII, of course, but there was also some talk about gas prices, and who's to blame for them.  

Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp noted that blame always falls on whoever is in power, but she also pointed out that the Dems and Biden's own people aren't doing a very good job pushing back on what she called "the red herrings." One example? The common complaint that "It's because you didn't build the Keystone XL Pipeline." 

And I remind them, one of the first things Donald Trump did was give the permit. And in four years the pipeline didn't get built. Why not? Because it wasn't -- it wasn't economical to build that pipeline in those price points.

She's right - the party in power does get blamed - and she's right that the Dems don't have a clue how to fight back, or how to get in front of this stuff so they don't have to play defense all the time. 

After watching and listening to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak to elected officials in the West, I was inspired to envision Zelenskyy asking Donald Trump for a favor via Zoom. I made some slight adaptations to Zelenskyy's remarks to American officials, and gave him the upper hand in the conversation. Here are a couple of snippets.

I remember your national memorial in Rushmore, and how you want to see your face there, with the faces of your prominent presidents, those who laid the foundation of the United States of America as it is today. 

And, later in the conversation,

 I understand that you are not personally familiar, because of your bone spurs, with how much depends on the battlefield, on the ability to use aircraft, powerful, stronger aviation to protect our people, our freedom, our land.

It was a fun exercise.

For your TGIF, I focused only on good news/good week stuff. Some of it was consequential to folks involved, personally or professionally. Some of it wasn't, but there are times when we need to escape into our time-honored traditions. 

First, one of the consequential items.

Hundreds of protesters were arrested across multiple Russian cities earlier this week; since the invasion started in late February, over 14,000 have been arrested. They protest, even in the face of up to 15 years in prison.

And, one of the less-than-consequential ones.

Baseball's Spring Training is underway, after a lengthy lockout of the players by the owners, over what else? Money. It's always about money, one way or another. Playing ball is great; my Boston Red Sox starting the season 2-0 is even better.

Finally, I tossed up a Quick Take on the entertaining process by which the Senate "unanimously" passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make Daylight Savings Time permanent come November 2023. The folks at BuzzFeed did some digging into how this passed, and honestly, it's a tragi-comedy or something. 

Don't believe me? Listen to Sen. Chris Coons.

Asked to re-create his reaction to the news, Sen. Chris Coons issued a series of shocked stammers that is impossible to phonetically translate.

Honestly, you can't make this stuff up.

Coming up this week? I'll be in the classrooms, of course, and there'll likely be some Wondering on Wednesday. Other than that, my former governor is getting on my nerves, and my current governor is getting ready to rumble with her own party on crime and the budget. I'm sure there's a post or two in that mess somewhere.

Thanks for sticking around.

If Zelenskyy Zoomed with Trump

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been Zooming around the West; he's spoken with the Canadian parliament, our Congress, and the German Bundestag just in the past few days. In his messages, he's referenced iconic landmarks, historical events, and even the dark days of the nation he's addressing.  

He's a powerful, impassioned, evocative speaker; that's to be expected, given his background as an actor. And, he's getting the lengthy ovations and adulation that a certain former president of ours craved, and still craves. 

Watching the videos and reading the transcripts of his remarks, I can't help thinking what it would sound like if Zelenskyy were to have a "perfect" Zoom call with Donald Trump today. In my mind, I picture it going something like what you see below, put together with thoughts from his message to the Congress the other day, modified with these comments of mine.

Mr. Trump, I'm proud to greet you from Ukraine, from our capital city of Kyiv. A city that is under missile and airstrikes from Russian troops every day, but doesn't give up. And we have not even thought about it for a second, just like many other cities and communities in our beautiful country, which found themselves in the worst war since World War II. 

I have the honor to greet you on behalf of the Ukrainian people. Brave and freedom-loving people, who for eight years have been resisting the Russian aggression, like you say you have been resisting the RINOS in your party, and the fake news media. Right now, the destiny of our country is being decided. The destiny of our people, whether Ukrainians will be free, whether they will be able to preserve their democracy.

Russia has attacked not just us, not just our land, not just our cities, it went on a brutal offensive against our values, basic human values. It threw tanks and planes against our freedom, against our right to live freely in our own choosing our own future, against our desire for happiness, against our national dreams. Just like the same dreams you have, you Americans, just like anyone else in the United States.

I remember your national memorial in Rushmore, and how you want to see your face there, with the faces of your prominent presidents, those who laid the foundation of the United States of America as it is today. Democracy, independence, freedom, and care for every American, for everyone who works diligently, who lives honestly, who respects you and the law. We in Ukraine want the same for our people. All that is normal part of your own life.

Mr. Trump. In your country's great history, you have pages that would allow you to understand Ukrainians. Understand us now, when we need you right now. They say you don't Remember Pearl Harbor, but we all remember it. Terrible morning of December 7, 1941, when your sky was black from the planes attacking you. Just remember it.

Remember September the 11th, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn your cities, independent territories, in battlefields. When innocent people were attacked from air, yes, just like no one expected it, you could not stop it. When you suddenly had the tallest building in Manhattan. Our country experiences the same destruction every day. We have very few tall buildings left in our cities. Right now, in this moment, every night, for three weeks now, various Ukrainian cities of Odesa, Kharkiv, Lviv, Sumy, Mariupol, Zaporzhzhia and Dnipro. Our tall buildings are being destroyed, and you, as a builder, I know how this must hurt you. I know you remember, Mr. Trump, when you said that the coronavirus pandemic was the worst attack on your country, even worse than Pearl Harbor. Well, I say to you, the Russian attack is even worse than the coronavirus, for my country.

Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people. Russian troops have already fired nearly 1,000 missiles at Ukraine. Countless bombs. They use drones to kill us with precision. This is a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years, and we are asking for a reply, for an answer to this terror from the whole world. Is this a lot to ask for? To create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save people. Is this too much to ask? A humanitarian no-fly zone, something that Russia would not be able to terrorize our free cities. If this is too much to ask, we offer an alternative.

You know, what kind of defense systems we need as 300 and other similar systems. I understand that you are not personally familiar, because of your bone spurs, with how much depends on the battlefield, on the ability to use aircraft, powerful, stronger aviation to protect our people, our freedom, our land. But I can assure you, it is vitally important to have aircrafts that can help Ukraine, help Europe. And you know that they exist, and you have them. But they are on earth not in the Ukrainian sky. They do not defend our people.

Do you recall our perfect conversation back in July of 2019? I do, Mr. Trump. I told you then I had learned a lot from you, and what I learned helped us win the election. You told me you do a lot for my country, more than the Europeans, especially more than Germany. It turns out that even though logically, the European Union should be our biggest partner but technically the United States is a much bigger partner than the European Union and I’m very grateful to you for that because "the United States has been very very good to Ukraine." I asked you for more Javelins, more defensive weapons, and you asked me for a favor. Do you remember that, Mr. Trump?

You asked for my help, and I said yes. I remember that, my people, my country remembers that, the whole world remembers that. And they remember that you refused to give me the aid I so desperately needed, and I had to wait for your Congress to help my country. I cannot wait again, not now. 

'I have a dream.' These words are known to you today, I hope? They are like Pearl Harbor, unforgettable and known to all. I can say I have a need. I need to protect our sky. I need your decision, your help, which means exactly the same. The same you feel when you hear the words, 'I have a dream.'

Ukraine is grateful to the United States for its overwhelming support. For everything that your government and your people have done for us, for weapons and ammunition, for training, for finances, for leadership in the free world, which helps us to pressure the aggressor economically. I would be grateful to you, Mr. Trump, for your personal involvement, for your sincere commitment to the defense of Ukraine and democracy all over the world. 

I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and your country knows a lot about it. I would like you to find out what more can be done to help us. And I know you have wealthy friends in Russia, even your son said you have all the money you need from the Russians. We need your help, with the Russians and their money and the oligarchs. Whatever you can do, it’s very important that you do it if that’s possible.

 ... now, it is true in the darkest time for our country, for the whole of Europe, I call on you to do more. Are there oligarchs living in your apartment towers? Are they members of your private clubs? Did they help build your business empire? New sanctions are needed constantly, every week until the Russian military machine stops. Restrictions are needed for everyone on whom this unjust regime is based. We propose that you personally sanction these Russians from whom you get money today and before. You need to cut ties with those who are responsible for their aggression against Ukraine. You must no longer take money from them, anywhere in the world, if we are to break this state terror. All American companies must leave Russia from their market, including your Trump company. Leave their market and their money behind immediately because it is flooded with our blood. That is the favor I ask from you, Mr. Trump.

Please take the lead. If you have Russians in your circle, in your business or personal circle, I'm asking to make sure that the Russians do not receive a single penny that they use to destroy people in Ukraine, and that you cut all ties with them. The destruction of our country the destruction of Europe, all American ports should be closed for Russian goods, all American apartments should be closed for Russian people, all American golf courses - closed for Russians. It all must be closed. Peace is more important than income, and we have to defend this principle in the whole world.

Some people might say you are not a man of principle. I know you are, of some principles. We already became part of the anti-war coalition, a big anti-war coalition that unites many countries, dozens of countries, those who reacted to in principle to your friend, your smart friend President Putin’s decision to invade our country, but we need to move on and do more. If he is your friend, and he wouldn't have done this if you were in charge, think how he would act if you got involved right now? 

We propose to create an association, U24. United for peace, a union of responsible countries that have the strength and consciousness to stop conflict immediately, provide all the necessary assistance in 24 hours, if necessary, even weapons if necessary, sanctions, humanitarian support, political support, finances, everything you need to keep the peace, and quickly save the world to save lives. In addition, such association, such a union could provide assistance to those who are experiencing natural disasters, man-made disasters fell victims to humanitarian crisis or epidemic.

 Remember how difficult it was for the world to do the simplest thing just to give vaccines against COVID to save lives to prevent new strains. The world spent months, years, doing things like that much faster, to make sure there are no human losses. No victims, ladies and gentlemen, Americans if such alliance would exist today, that is U24, we would be able to save thousands of lives in our country. In many countries of the world, those who need peace, those suffer inhumane destruction... We have to stop it. We must preventively destroy every single aggressor or who seeks to subjugate other nations. 

And in the end, to sum it up. Today, it's not enough to be the leader of the nation. It takes to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. Even in your America first vision, Mr. Trump, peace in your country doesn't depend anymore only on you and your people. Depends on those next to you and those who are strong.

Strong doesn't mean big. Strong is brave and ready to fight for the life of his citizens and citizens of the world; for human rights; for freedom; for the right to live decently; and the right to die when your time comes and not when it's wanted by someone else. By your neighbor. You have called upon your supporters to lay down their very lives over what is taught to their children in school. Can that be more important than to call them to lay down their very lives for children of the world? If you asked them to, how many would? You know the answer to that, Mr. Trump.

Today, the Ukrainian people are not only defending Ukraine. We are fighting for the values of Europe and the world, sacrificing our lives in the name of the future. That's why today the American people are helping not just Ukraine, but Europe and the world to keep the planet alive. To keep justice in history. Now, I’m almost 45 years old. Today, my age stopped when the hearts of more than 100 children stopped beating. I see no sense in life if it cannot stop the deaths. And this is my main issue as the leader of my people, brave Ukrainians. And as the leader of my nation, I am addressing you, Mr. Trump. You are still somehow a respected leader of your great nation. I wish you to be a leader of the world. Being a leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. Help my country with the favor I ask from you. Thank you. 

In Case You Missed it (v80)

A busy week in the world, and to a much less consequential extent, at veritable pastiche. Here's a recap of this week's posts, in case you missed them.

In the Sunday School classrooms, we heard from a few of the usual suspects, and from an unusual one: Nadya Tolokonnikova, the Russian activist and founding member of Pussy Riot. In her conversation with Jake Tapper on CNN she was asked what might have led to Putin's invasion on Ukraine. Was it declining mental health, maybe - or was he acting out because he's never been held to account for his prior bad acts? It was clear where she stood.  

...we have heard a lot of loud, big proclamations from the global community, but, unfortunately, it wasn't followed through. And Putin didn't really feel like he -- him and his closest -- closest oligarchs and cronies suffered from invasion of Ukraine. And I think, partly, what we're seeing right now in Ukraine is the result of complacency of the global community about a situation that happened in Ukraine in 2014.

For your Sunday School Extra Credit, there was more talk of Russia and Ukraine, but I also included some discussion on the current state of our union, as shared by the panel on Fox News Sunday. One topic? Recent polling showing that people would rather see Congress under Republican control, to keep Biden's agenda in check, than to have the Dems retain their majorities. Georgetown University's Mo Elleithee said polling like that is generally a bad sign, but that the Dems still had a chance.

Biden's SOTU was a big part of that; he suggested (Biden) was reminding voters why they voted for him - or, for the Biden that campaigned closer to the middle than many of his opponents. And, he added,

I think it was him sort of reorienting the public perception of the Democratic Party, which, for many months now has been defined by a fight between the left and Joe Manchin, you know, and Kyrsten Sinema over the Build Back Better, right? That was what was defining the Democrat Party in the eyes of many voters. And I think Biden said, let me remind you what you got when you voted for me.

Lest you think only the Dems are in a quandary in advance of the midterms, I included a hint of a mess brewing on the Republican side of the aisle in the post as well.

Also stemming from the Sunday School classrooms was a Sidebar on the foolishness of Florida's Sen. Marco Rubio sharing a "nondescript" picture of Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the equal foolishness of two network anchors not asking him why he did it. 

I mean, it's not like it was a side-by-side of Rubio's 'resting Intelligence Committee face' and Zelenskyy - it was a solo shot of the Z-man, one that's almost certainly hanging on the walls and ceilings of bedrooms around the world - probably next to one of Andrew Cuomo.

Mid-week, I was Wondering on Wednesday about things like Republicans still taking about trying to do something they tried - and failed - to do for a decade.

Wisconsin's Sen. Ron Johnson wants to obstruct the president's agenda until the Rs take control in the midterms, and then when they take back the White House in 2024,  he wants to see the GOP repeal the Affordable Care Act... I also wonder, how many people wish that Johnson had kept his promise not to run again? 

And, the week's posts came to an end with a TGIF entry all about the state of the state of Texas. There's the vigilante abortion bill, which the Texas Supreme Court pretty much guaranteed would stand (and would spread to other freedom-loving Red states), and there was the now temporarily on hold directive to investigate and, presumably, punish parents who allow certain medical procedures for their trans children. And, there was more.

I don't want you to think that Texas only discriminates against women and LGBTQ kids they're equal opportunity discriminators.

A Texas agency discriminated against communities of color when it denied more than $1 billion in federal relief funds sought by Houston and Harris County to help hard-hit areas recover from Hurricane Harvey, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found.

It's a helluva time we're living in, don't you think?

See you next week.

Sidebar: Sunday School 3/6/22

I'm just going to say it: I've never been a big fan of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-The Other Florida Man). 

Like many people, I was introduced to him when he made "the sip" in 2013's Republican response to the State of the Union address. Using that as a launch pad, he had his failed run for the GOP nomination in 2016. Since then, I haven't seen a lot of leadership out of him; to the contrary, what I've seen appears to be more 'followship' and 'evasiveship' than anything else. 

Could I be doing him a disservice? Sure - he may be way more better, as we say, than I give him credit for, but I honestly don't pay enough attention to him to form a more nuanced opinion. If you want, drop a comment on why I should, and I'll consider it. 

The reason why I'm talking about him at all today is because he was in two Sunday School classrooms this week, ostensibly because he's vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, but also because of something he tweeted - and no, I'm not talking about his daily Bible verse; I'm talking about the screen shot heard 'round the echo chamber. 

Rubio was one of 300-some-odd senators and House members participating on a Zoom call with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy - and one of two who shared a screen shot of Zelenskyy while they were on the call. 

Here's how that conversation went down, first on CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper.

JT: You tweeted a photo of Zelenskyy during the virtual meeting. Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips said that the Ukrainian ambassador had explicitly asked lawmakers not to share anything on social media until after the meeting ended just for Zelensky's security. Is that true? Was it a mistake for you to tweet that picture?

MR: Well, first of all, she asked that like 30 minutes into the call, after I had already done it. The second is, I think she's under the impression that no one knew that call was happening. That call had been widely reported. Actually, the specific time had been reported. There were over 300 people on it. All the call details had been e-mailed. So, there was nothing secure about that call. And the picture is just a nondescript picture. It looks just like any of the other ones that you have seen out there publicly. So, I -- there's no risk posed. But you're always going to have a couple of people that want their name in an article somewhere and mentioned in the press. So...

And, here's how it went on This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

GS: You were facing some criticism from fellow legislators for tweeting out a picture of President Zelenskyy during his Zoom with Congress yesterday. The ambassador asked members not to do that because it would endanger Zelenskyy. Why did you ignore that request?

MR: First of all, she said that well into the call. Second, there was no security risk in that at all. I'm -- perhaps she was under the impression that the Zoom call was a secret. It had been broadly reported like multiple outlets, maybe even ABC had tweeted it was at 9:30. There were over 300 people on this call. The details of the call were emailed to a bunch of people. And it was a nondescript picture unlike any of the other -- just like the other ones you've seen on the air. So, there was no security risk there.

GS: You don't believe you put him at risk?

MR: No.

So, a US senator felt compelled to screenshot and post a "nondescript" picture, one that "looks just like any of the other ones that you have seen out there publicly," and neither anchor asked him why he felt the need to do that?

I mean, it's not like it was a side-by-side of Rubio's 'resting Intelligence Committee face' and Zelenskyy - it was a solo shot of the Z-man, one that's almost certainly hanging on the walls and ceilings of bedrooms around the world - probably next to one of Andrew Cuomo.

I don't think anyone - Rubio's constituents or anyone else - benefitted in any way from seeing the picture. Like Rubio said, the call was widely publicized in advance, so people should have known he would be there. 

Oh wait - that's not necessarily true. He skipped President Biden's State of the Union address because he was too busy to get a Covid test first. Besides, he told CPAC attendees,

For the first time in American history, you now have people having to produce paper to go in somewhere, to sit somewhere, to go to the State of the Union.

You’ve got to show them I’m vaccinated, I took a test yesterday, they took my temperature, you know, all this stuff. This is, what’s happening now in America, is what happens after 20 years of infusing this Marxist thought process into every aspect of our lives and now we’ve come face-to-face with it.

And he does seem to miss an awful lot of votes - so, maybe his constituents did need evidence that he was working. 

And maybe I don't really need to reconsider my opinion of him.

Sunday School 3/6/22: Extra Credit

In your Sunday School, we heard from people who don't get a lot of air time. 

For your Extra Credit, let's dive in with Fiona Hill and Adm. James Stavridis (Ret.) who talked with what's-his-name on Meet the Press. Hill, of course, is a Russia expert - and, more importantly, one of the good people in the Trump administration. Stavridis is a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander. 

Hill was asked to compare Trump's towards Russia with the Biden efforts. While she did say there "was an awful lot" done under Trump, she said

I think there's just the one point that sums everything up... that President Trump at a pretty critical period, withheld military assistance to Ukraine that was desperate for it at that particular junction, basically to get Volodymyr Zelenskyy to do him a personal favor.

That sent a message to Vladimir Putin that "Ukraine is a plaything for him" and for the US, too, and she said that was "ultimately a sign of weakness."

It’s our political divisions, our parties are infighting, which was on full display there, that Putin I think is quite shocked now that we've got some collective action together.

Stavridis talked about the possibility of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which President Zelenskyy wants and the West is resisting. The admiral knows more about this than most people; he implemented one over Libya. And it's not a good idea in this instance. 

It's quite obvious that if we put US (and) NATO jets in the air enforcing a no-fly zone, they'll be going nose to nose with Russian fighter aircraft. Down that path, the potential for miscalculation and a war between NATO and Russia and a war between Russia and the United States rises significantly.

The better alternative is to help Ukraine to "create a no-fly zone" by getting them the Russian-made jets they need, and "more stingers, more missiles that can go higher than stingers." He also said that our allies have enough Russian jets to give Zelenskyy "a chance at air superiority." NATO collectively outnumbers Russia five-to-one in combat aircraft, and four-to-one, so Putin is "not going to cross a NATO border in anger," he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-Hoping Donald Trump Still Likes Him) recently suggested that the world doesn't need love, sweet love - it needs someone in Russia to assassinate Putin. Hill says  

We have to be extraordinarily cautious about how we talk about this conflict. We need to stop the war in Ukraine, but we have to be very careful about talking about war with Russia, regime change, about these other things because then he absolutely will double down further.

Seems that's the last thing we'd want, right? 

Switching gears, I dropped in on the group chat on Fox News Sunday, hosted by Shannon Bream. On the panel: Jonathan Swan of Axios; Catherine Lucey of The Wall Street Journal; Mo Elleithee from Georgetown University; and Katie Pavlich of "Town Hall." 

Bream asked who President Biden was talking to with his State of the Union address. Swan thought it was "independent voters who have abandoned him in numbers that no one could have believed at the start of his presidency," and said Biden's trying to find "opportunities to not just contrast himself with Republicans, but to contrast himself with the left flank of his own party."  Swan's assessment is spot on, I think.

Crime is one of the opportunities - Biden's got to counter the "defund the police" nonsense, which is the gift that keeps on giving for the Rs. Immigration was an unexpected topic, one that Bream said drew a "huge bipartisan response" but she wondered if anything was going to happen on it.

Pavlich acknowledged Biden's approval Bump after the SOTU, and that he's doing well on Ukraine, but said there's an issue of sustainability with the numbers. That requires policy change, which may or may not happen. She pointed to the midterms as a driver of his message.

The midterms pose another problem for the Dems, according to new ABC News/Washington Post poll which Bream referenced. The poll asked

would you rather see the next Congress controlled by the Republicans to act as a check on Biden, or controlled by the Democrats to support Biden's agenda. And Republicans lead that by ten points.

Elleithee said that kind of polling "usually foreshadows a 'big wave election' in a midterm," but he said the Dems still had a chance to "mitigate some of the expected losses." Biden's SOTU was a big part of that; he suggested he was reminding voters why they voted for him - or, for the Biden that campaigned closer to the middle than many of his opponents. And, he added,

I think it was him sort of reorienting the public perception of the Democratic Party, which, for many months now has been defined by a fight between the left and Joe Manchin, you know, and Kyrsten Sinema over the Build Back Better, right? That was what was defining the Democrat Party in the eyes of many voters. And I think Biden said, let me remind you what you got when you voted for me.

It's not just the Dems who are having issues ahead of the midterms. Sen. Rick Scott (R- Florida Man) is pushing his own 31-page agenda which includes naming the (completed) border wall after Donald Trump, sunsetting all legislation after five years, stopping "left-wing efforts to rig elections" (I assume right-wing efforts in that regard are still fine), requiring  income tax from all Americans, including those living miles below the ridiculous federal poverty level, and more. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Nobody Respects Me Anymore) isn't happy about that, saying

And let me tell you what would not be a part of our agenda. We will not have, as part of our agenda, a bill that raises taxes on half the American people, and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years. That will not be part of a Republican Senate majority agenda. 

Bream wondered if the Rs can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat; Lucey thinks they can.

 -- the real thing here is the context, right, which is, as we just talked about, the fact that Republicans are going into midterms that they feel pretty good about. There's a lot of strong indicators for them. Their candidates are feeling pretty optimistic. And Senator McConnell definitely does not want the distraction of a conversation about taxes and Rick Scott's plan.

We'll have to wait and see how that power struggle works out; it might be fun to watch.  For some real extra credit, read Scott's agenda, mull it over, and drop your thoughts in a comment. 

See you around campus.