August 21, 2020--Miss Moscow

Earlier this week the Senate Intelligence Committee issued a nearly 1,000 page bipartisan report about Trump's involvement with the Russians, including details of the ways in which he, his campaign, and members of his administration colluded with the Russians during the 2016 election. 

The repot included information and hints about Trump's sexual escapades in Moscow during the 2013 Miss Universe contest.

Is there any possibility that former KGB colonel, Vladimir Putin, does not have all sorts of documentary evidence about these liaisons? Video and audio tapes, photographs, and taped testimony about what Trump was up to?

As I have been suggesting for years, these goods the Russians have on Trump may be at the heart of his political corruption and support of Putin and his regime.

Below are the opening paragraphs of Michael Schmidt's New York Times article about the report: 

Two decades before he ran for president, Donald J. Trump traveled to Russia, where he scouted properties, was wined and dined and, of greatest significance to Senate intelligence investigators, met a woman who was a former Miss Moscow. 

A Trump associate, Robert Curran, who was interviewed by the Senate investigators, said he believed Mr. Trump may have had a romantic relationship with the woman. On the same trip, another Trump associate, Leon D. Black, told investigators that he and Mr. Trump “might have been in a strip club together.” Another witness said that Mr. Trump may have been with other women in Moscow and later brought them along to a meeting with the mayor. 

Mr. Trump was married to Marla Maples at the time. 

July 30, 2020--Follow the Sex

When prosecutors or investigative reporters are closing in on a subject, it is often said, "Follow the Money." Al Capone comes to mind.

This is certainly true about Donald Trump. District attorneys in New York, among other things, are looking into the finances of the Trump Foundation while others were given the go ahead recently by the Supreme Court to have access to eight years of his tax returns.

Also, while seeking explanations for Tump's cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin, it is speculated that it's all about money, Trump's obsession with building a Trump Tower in Red Square in Moscow.

While all of this and more are likely true, there may also be other powerful forces at work. Sex, for example.

Remember Stormy Daniels? She's the porn star with whom Trump had an affair and attempted to hush up by slipping her $130,000. Trump's fixer lawyer, Michael Cohen, wound up in jail for serving as the intermediary for this transaction. 

Then there is the notorious BuzzFeed Dossier, which, if it exists, may include evidence that Trump, when in Moscow in 2013 for the Miss Universe pageant cavorted with Russian prostitutes. If true, it is not hard to imagine that former KGB agent Putin has a dossier of his own that includes incriminating evidence of a sexual nature. Enough to buy Trump's silence about Russia's meddling in the 2016 election that swept him into the White House.

And, recently, we are hearing more about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, who for years in Palm Beach provided the famous and rich with access to teenage girls.

Epstein's girlfriend and procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell, was recently indicted and jailed in New York without bail on a range of sexual trafficking charges. Prosecutors can't wait to get their hands on her little black book. At least two presidents--one retired, one current--are likely to be found therein. 

Thus, at a covid briefing last week, when Trump, to everyone's surprise, was asked about her, seemingly totally rehearsed, matter of factly, he indicated he knew her and, three times, said he hoped she was "doing well." Code to her--if she gets rid of the address book and doesn't implicate him she'll get the Roger Stone treatment--a commutation or pardon.

And finally, the reporter who asked Trump about Maxwell, as if out of the blue, was Steven Nelson, from, of all places, Rupert Murdoch's NY Post, which hardly qualifies as a newspaper.

Conspiracy theories welcome.

Hint--follow the sex, not the money.

March 11, 2020--Germaphobe In Chief

Isn't it ironic that the world's best-known germaphobe, Donald Trump, may be in the process of being brought down by a whopper of a germ, the coronavirus.

I knew Trump was serious about running for president when he mingled in crowds and shook hands with people along the rope line without wearing gloves.

Years before that, occasionally in Manhattan, we would run into him and he always wore gloves, even in the middle of summer.

Even now, he is desperate to pretend everything is normal, claiming without evidence that the virus, like a "miracle" will soon just "disappear," the stock market will come roaring back, and in a romp he will win reelection.

Thinking about this and how Trump is behaving, a number of friends have been saying that the virus doesn't have to disappear to keep his supporters in line because, like his claim that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it, he could bungle the response to the pandemic (as is currently happening) and none of his people would care.

They would go along with the talking points which assert there is no public health problem. Like Ukraine, like with North Korea, like behaving as an apologist for Vladimir Putin, it's all a media-generated "witch hunt." The coronavirus is a "hoax" intended to bring Trump down.

But what is unfolding is categorically different than "lock her up" or calling the press the "enemy of the people." By comparison they are benign.

What we are seeing now is hitting much, much closer to home. It is literally a matter of life and death. Not some insipid chant at a feel-good Trump rally.

For example, many of his followers have aging parents or are elderly themselves. They have underlying medical issues such as COPD or heart disease and they know if they contract the virus there is a good chance they will die.

This is not an example of a Trump-inspired cost-free political frolic but a deeply feared threat. So lying about this is very different than lying about Benghazi. Deception will not make the virus go away.

In crises like the Bay of Pigs or 9/11presidents are supposed to remain calm and help people get through the trauma, not make matters worse by being flippant or incompetent. They need to feel our fear and pain, not exploit it for their own political benefit.

There is one good thing--Trump has made such an obvious and blatant mess of this existential crisis that people are finally coming to realize he is a fraud and cannot be depended upon to make us feel safe. Even some of his own people. Making citizens feel protected is a president's most important responsibility.

The current situation then represents a huge political disaster for him from which there is no easy recovery. Even members of cults (or Congress) have on occasion broken away from their charismatic leaders. I expect that something similar will soon change the narrative for some of Trump's most fervent acolytes. 

The fun for them is over.

November 11, 2019--John Bolting

Many following the impeachment inquiry have advised, "Follow the money and it will lead you to the truth about what happened."

Trump may be the best example. It could turn out that the bottom bottom line for him has been the pursuit of Russian money that he needed to bail out some of his failed real estate deals. Like his bankrupt gambling casinos in Atlantic City. 

No legitimate bank or investor would want to get involved in lending hundreds of millions to someone whose portfolio was so undercapitalized. So Trump, even before he announced his candidacy, assuming he wouldn't be elected, likely turned to Vladimir Putin, who routinely skimmed off a goodly percentage of any proposed deal with Russia. Like a humongous Trump Tower in Moscow.

Putin got his slice and Trump go his Russian money laundered through the likes of Deutsche Bank. And the rest is history. We as a result have a president bought and paid for by our Russian adversaries.

It may be, though, that the admonition to follow the money doesn't pertain to everyone.

John Bolton, for example.

Yes, he just signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster and will purportedly receive a $2.0 million advance which would make one think that this would mean he is contractually forbidden, until the book is published, to talk about his days in the White House where he served as Trump's national security advisor--save the juicy- gossipy stuff for the book; don't give it away for free when, for example, testifying before Congress.

What then to make of the very curious letter his lawyer on Friday sent to the House committee leading the impeachment inquiry. Seemingly out of the blue it ended with this tease--

His lawyer wrote, "Mr. Bolton was personally involved in many of the events, meetings, and conversations about which you have already received testimony, as well as many relevant meetings and conversations that have not yet been discussed in the testimonies thus far.” [My italics]

This could be an example of one set of Bolton lawyers failing to keep other attorneys in the loop, or something much more interesting.

Until proven otherwise, I'm going with the more interesting scenario.

Yes, Bolton too may be all about the money but as a nuanced operative it is possible he is negotiating with the House investigators for at least one of three reasons--

First, as a genuine, pre-Trump conservative he may want to initiate a constitutional discussion in the federal courts about the extent of presidential power when it comes to invoking executive privilege. This has never been fully vetted and ruled upon by the Supreme Court.

Then, Bolton the political animal may want to appear to be "ordered" to testify by the courts so as not to seem too eager to cooperate with the Democrats who are making haste to vote on impeachment. 

Also, and this is my favorite, Bolton, who we know must despise Trump for numerous obvious reasons, may want to see Trump twist slowly in the wind. We can imagine Trump sleeplessly tossing and turning as he tries to come up with what "meetings and conversations" Bolton is wanting to share with Congress and the American people.

I know, with that hanging over me, I wouldn't be sleeping.

This conundrum could be an example of all of the above. But then it may simply be about selling books. Perhaps Bolton wants to testify on TV as a preview of coming attractions.

February 21, 2019--Putin

The Mueller investigation is reaching a crescendo. 

The New York Times story that yesterday was widely read and circulated revealed how Trump for more than two years has attempted to cover up and undermine that investigation. In fact it shows how Trump attempted to have Mueller fired, as if that would pull the plug on it. He forgot to recall how when Nixon fired almost everyone during the Saturday Night Massacre it didn't end the Watergate crisis but instead was like adding an accelerant such as gasoline to an already smoldering fire.

For some time I have been arguing here that though Mueller and the Attorney General might be fired, minimally, what Mueller has unearthed will come to light. I feel certain that he or members of his team have copied emerging iterations of their report on a jump drive and, if all else fails, will make sure the public learns what they have uncovered.

All they need to do is make a copy on a thumb drive that would fit easily in a pocket, walk out the door, and call 1 800 New York Times. A version of the same thing Daniel Ellsberg did to circulate the formerly secret and devastating Pentagon Papers.

I also have speculated that as his work begins to wrap up, as an additional strategy to make sure the public and Congress is informed, he will begin to allow the leaking of key findings. To that end, I suspect someone high up in Mueller's operation is the key source for the Times story.

So expect more leaks and ultimately copies of the full report. Bootleg if necessary. 

It is possible that the new Attorney General, Robert Barr, will act honorably, not seeing himself as former acting AG, Matt Whitaker, perceived to be his role--Trump's protector. As he was quoted in the Times, Whitaker was the person designated to "jump on a grenade" for Trump. Which incidentally he did not do when asked to by his president.

And while Mueller is at it, in addition to the 25 Russians and three Russian companies he has already charged with crimes, why not, as Rona wryly suggested yesterday morning, indict Vladimir Putin? Though he would not be extradited to face trial in the United States, it would make quite a statement about how we view the rule of law and, though our president is, we aren't Putin's puppets.

December 5, 2018--Homebody

Have you noticed that Trump seems to be cutting back on his overseas travel? Way back?

Last month, he skipped three annual summits in Asia--the first time since 2013 that an American president has been absent. He sent Mike Pence in his place and left him on his own to tussle with China's president, Xi Jinping.

And he canceled scheduled visits to Ireland on the way home from the recent G-20 meeting which was held in Argentina.

White House aides said the president was too busy to stop in Bogota, a visit intended as a make up after Trump canceled a trip to Peru and Colombia in the spring. The Ireland stop, which was supposed to be tacked onto a recent trip to Paris, reportedly was to include a check-in at the Trump International Golf Links at Doonbeg. Not even a round of golf on one of his course could lure him.

What's up?

First, he likes to sleep in his own bed. During the 2016 presidential campaign after rallies he almost always flew home to New York City, to Trump Tower, no matter the distance, so he could curl up with his "blanky."

Then, he doesn't do group very well. At the G-20, for example, he had to share some of the spotlight with the other 19 leaders who attended. Considering his ego--always wanting to have the focus on himself--the thought of sharing the stage with his peers likely made his skin curl.

At the G-20, as the time drew near when he could make it back to the security of his bunk in Air Force One, he was caught on a hot mic, barking at one of his aides, "Get me out of here."

Or how fun is it to travel if all the other world leaders dislike him so much (I'm being kind putting it that way)? While away he therefore has no one to schmooze with. 

When in Buenos Aires, how he must have envied seeing Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's murderous dictator MBS (Mohammed bin Salman) high-fiving and having the time of their lives joshing about how they handle dissidents and annoying journalists. One could see the sulking Trump eyeing them enviously.  

For various reasons it would not have been politically wise for there to be an equivalent video of Trump yucking it up with these erstwhile pals.

Also, Trump is scaling back on his overseas travel for fear that one time when he is on another continent there will be a coup back home and he will find himself thrown out of office and Trump Tower converted to public housing.

This is a common concern of dictators where this sort of thing actually happens. For example to Cambodia's Pol Pot and Uganda's Idi Amin.

So look for Pence and Mike Pompeo to be on the road and racking up those frequent flyer miles.

November 29, 2018--Triple Agent Paul Manafort

Paul Manafort may be all the bad things he has pled guilty to and even worse all that juries have found him guilty of, but though he may not be the shiniest penny, in regard to things important to him (money and power, especially money) he may actually be brilliant.

For someone so seemingly unimpressive he somehow managed to amass millions--tens or hundreds of millions--mainly by finding ways to be of serious service to some of the world's sleaziest operatives in some of the most complicated and corrupt regions of the world. Especially in parts of the former Soviet Union, more specifically, primarily in Ukraine.

He also managed for a while to put on a glittering show of opulent living, with houses and apartments in Manhattan (including in Trump Tower), East Hampton, and Brooklyn as well as his reputed million-dollar bespoke sharkskin wardrobe.

But now we see him being wheeled in and out of courtrooms, looking pathetic in an orange prison jumpsuit, seemingly brought low. But who knows, considering his slimy skills, he may be hatching a way to fool almost everyone and manage to walk away largely unscathed.

This could be because, after working in Eastern Europe where nothing it was it seems and there is someone scheming to cut you down at every turn, he has so mastered the art of subterfuge that he may have found a way to work for the Russians (Putin) and Trump while pretending to be working for Robert Mueller. 

In other words he may have figured out how to operate as a triple agent, playing these three sides against each other. 

And through one of the seams that connect these pieces Manafort may find a way to slither out to some version of freedom.

Working with the Russians, Manafort has more goods on Trump to market that are essential puzzle pieces that fit with the covert material the Russians already have on Trump--remember that dossier and what it allegedly contains about Trump's escapades with, among other transgressions, prostitutes in Moscow. If Manafort working as a secret agent for the Russians is true, think of the resulting additional leverage they have on Trump. It helps explain Trump's wimpy behavior when it comes to anything Putin.

Working concurrently for Trump as his campaign manager (my favorite part--for free) he managed to keep the Trump-Russia collusion going while on the surface doing all the basic gofer things campaign managers routinely do like getting a platform written that everyone can agree to and ultimately ignore.

And then, with Robert Mueller, the very smartest of his handlers, Manafort seemingly turned the tables on Trump to become a valuable resource to the special counsel and his investigators. In that role, other than Trump's boys who know all the family felonies, by ratting on Trump and his inner-inner circle, Manafort could help Mueller connect all the illegal dots while auditioning for the part of star witness before grand juries, congressional committees, and eventual impeachment hearings and criminal trials. For these services Manafort could expect to be rewarded by not having to do any jail time and might even wind up with his own show on Fox News.

That seemed to be where things were headed until a few days ago when Manafort was discovered to have been lying to Mueller's team. As a result Mueller puled the plug on Manafort, leaving the investigation bereft of anyone who could testify with direct knowledge about the BIG picture.

Furthermore, in his role as a secret agent mole within the Mueller operation, a few days ago we learned from Trump's lawyers that Manafort's lawyers have been colluding with them, leaking to Trump's people inside information about the workings and strategies of the Mueller probe. 

When it comes to Manafort so much is complicated and seemingly self-inflicted. 

So much so that most of the print and cable legal analysts are left scratching their heads, frustrated that they can't seem to make sense of Manafort's recent moves--lying to Mueller and his people after making a sweet deal to get a reduced sentence by cooperating truthfully. Apparently  as a result of lying to Mueller, Manafort seems to be facing at least a decade of hard jail time.

It could turn out that Manafort blew it. But it may mean he will be pardoned with gratitude by Trump for undercutting arch-villain Mueller (he will be pardoned in a matter of just weeks) and figure out a way to skulk back to Ukraine where he can live out the rest of his natural life in whatever splendor Ukraine has to offer. This assumes, of course, that he will find a way to keep from getting killed by a Putin hit squad.

In Manafort's line of work, you win some and you lose some.

November 14, 2018--Amazonia

Most writers are so routinized that they often have fetishes about their writing instruments. 

The pens and paper they use, the typewriters they pounded on or still write with, and more recently their computers and word-processing software.

For example, Paul Auster will use only his Olympia SM9, Maya Angelou exclusively wrote with an Adler Meteor 12, and Philip Roth an Olivetti Praxis 48.

When it comes to pens and paper, Stephen King uses a Waterman Hemisphere; J.K. Rowling, as is her wont, formulated her initial Harry Potter ideas on paper napkins; Jack Kerouac (when he wasn't typing On the Road on a continuous roll of paper--Truman Capote once famously put Kerouac down by quipping he wasn't a writer but a "typist") wrote with a modest Bic Cristal pen; and a major piece in last Sunday's New York Times Style section noted that writer Ben Schott (whoever he is) uses only Jinhao pens (whatever they are--I assume something very fancy and expensive to qualify for mention in the glitzy Style section).

I confess to being equally compulsive.

When not typing on my MacBook Pro, I have insisted for more than four decades that I can only function on yellow legal pads with a Pentel Rolling Water, Roller Ball, Cushion Ball pen with black ink and a medium (.80 mm) tip. 

Since I periodically wake up shaking with anxiety that Pentel will soon stop making them, when most stressed, I order pens by the dozens and have stocks of them sequestered in both New York and Maine.

But there is a problem with this--I recently discovered they do not last forever but dry out after a few years. So it is a race in time to see what will expire first--my pens or me.

Nonetheless, I noticed recently that since my New York supply was down to just a few dozen I ordered a couple of boxes (12 in a box) to replenish my stash, holding my breath that they might no longer be available.

Reflexively, I went to Amazon and was relieved to find that they were available, but thought, before ordering them, that maybe I should shop around to see who was offering the best deal. Almost always that would be Amazon and what with Prime free shipping, why even bother. But being responsible I did.

Amazon was selling a box of 12 for $10.55, but Office Supply was offering the same thing, not on sale, including free shipping, for only $8.60, a nearly two dollar savings. So how could I say no. 

I didn't and ordered them from Office Supply. They arrived in less than two days, though it was hardly urgent as I already had at least a three-year supply.

While waiting for the Pentels to be delivered I thought about Amazon's business model. 

I know a little about this as we own a number of Amazon shares. In fact, in our mix of financial instruments and investments, it's the only individual stock we have since we prefer index funds. It has been good to us as well as to other early investors so I am a little worried that by talking about this I may spook my favorite investment. 

This of course is ridiculous. 

But with Chaos Theory suggesting that just one butterfly flapping its wings has an effect on things on the other side of the world couldn't I, by flapping my mouth, unleash global, macro-economic forces? Again, I know this is just the anxiety-ridden me talking.

The founder and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, seemingly the world's richest man (unless Vladimir Putin is), wants Amazon to become America's "everything store." He appears to be well on his way to realizing this goal. In fact just yesterday Amazon announced the location of its second multi-multi billion dollar corporate headquarters, joining the original one which will continue in Seattle. This move is so vast that they will split this new headquarters into two halves with one located in Long Island City, across the East River from Manhattan, and the other in Arlington, Virginia, adjacent to Washington, DC.

I know that many hate Amazon, feeling it already is an exploitative  monopoly and that its predatory practices have contributed to the decline of brick and mortar businesses, including independent bookstores. 

Though Amazon is valued at nearly $1.0 trillion, up to 10 percent of its employees are on food stamps and another large percent work part time or seasonally. Thus the company takes advantage of business regulations that enable it to get away with not providing benefits  Though just recently Amazon moved to pay all employees, including those who work for Whole Foods, at least $15 an hour.

So Amazon is riddled with contradictions. Like many capitalist enterprises.

But then there is Amazon and my Pentels.

The fact that on this small-ticket item Office Supply figured out a way to undersell the Bezos' behemoth suggests that perhaps Amazon is not on track to take over the world. 

Could this, like the chaotic butterfly, mixing metaphors, be a straw in the wind? If Office Supply can figure out how to sell pens cheaper than Amazon why can't they and others figure out ways to sell virtually everything cheaper and thereby give Amazon some well-needed competition?

I know, my stock. But, for the sake of the world, I'm OK with whatever happens to my Amazon. But about the Pentels, I'm not negotiable.

Philip Roth at His Olivetti

November 13, 2018--Pour It On Mr. President

I know this sounds counterintuitive but I welcome the appointment of Matt (The Hulk) Whittaker to be acting attorney general.

I love the idea that he is totally unqualified to hold that office for even a day. I love the fact that he is somehow implicated in a scheme to defraud clients who were paying a company for which he was an official a fee to secure patents they never received. (Sound familiar?) I especially love that he has been a flunky for Trump for at least two years and seems eager to do his bidding, including and perhaps especially shutting down the Mueller investigation. 

I love this since even firing the special counsel will not thwart the investigation, only further sully Whitaker and Trump by piling on additional counts of obstruction of justice. With Democrats about to control the House, this guarantees that Mueller's report in one way or another will become public and lead to Trump's impeachment. If the Pentagon Papers leaked out so will the ultimate Mueller report. 

And I love the fact that Trump is in open warfare with journalists, acting like a bully and in the case of black women exposing his deep racism. Wouldn't it be great, I am thinking if he would ban a few more from the White House.

To keep his opposition motivated, the worse the better.

On the international front, I like the way Trump behaved over the weekend in France at the gathering of world leaders to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

It was perfect that he arrived late and left early. (As did his best friend and handler, Vladimir Putin.) Since the gathering was not about him, he saw no purpose in being there and was not shy about letting everyone take note of his petulance. 

I can't tell you, though, how happy I am that he did come to Paris and am overjoyed that he didn't show up for a memorial gathering at a cemetery for American soldiers killed in action, claiming that since it was drizzling he would have to be driven to the site rather than helicoptered in and that it was too foggy even for that.

I suspect that the real reason Trump skipped the ceremony was because if he got wet his orange-dyed face might run. Also, in his twisted cosmology, as a perverse commander-in-chief, he deems men killed in action "losers," not unlike John McCain was a loser because he was captured. He likes only winners such as himself who couldn't hold onto the House of Representatives. 

I do not need to speculate what veterans might be feeling about this draft dodger who didn't serve in Vietnam because he got five deferments and allegedly had a bone spur in one of his feet. But if as a result fewer vets vote for him in 2020, so much the better.

Do not worry that the alliances he is undermining can never be reestablished. Quite the contrary. Our true allies know the problem is Trump, not America nor the American people. Days after he is defeated two years from now French, German, and English leaders will be be on the first flight out to meet with the president-elect to begin the reconciliation process.

The more Trump does things of this kind the better it is. And so I say, bring it on. 

Please Mister President, keep up your outrageous behavior because the more you do things of this kind the more likely it is that you will not be reelected. Keep up the hissy fits and white supremacist talk because the more you behave this way the more likely you lose.

That's the next prize to keep eyes on. We did good work last week in regard to the House and local elections around the country, but that was the intermediate prize. The big one is now teed up.

Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker

This is my 3,500 blog posting. The first one appeared August 26, 2005.

July 20, 2018--Jack: When No Is Yes

I have been so agitated about Trump's pathetic behavior at the Helsinki summit and then with his attempts to walk back a number of the more outrageous things he said, that I found myself calling Jack to get a few things off my chest.

"I want you to just listen," I said, not even beginning with "Hello."

"You have 15 minutes before my next appointment. So shoot. There I go again with the shooting business." He chuckled at that. I ignored him as I didn't want to get sidetracked into an argument about the Second Amendment.

"Just listen," I said, racing on, "There have been numerous examples of politicians, including presidents, who said stupid things that they or their people subsequently attempted to clean up, to explain away.

"Let me begin with John Kerry when he was running for president in 2004. He was accused, not entirely unfairly by George W. Bush, of being a flip-flopper. The most enduring example was when he tried to have it both ways when it came time to vote for or against a supplemental defense bill that authorized $87 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"He said, 'I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.' Typical John Kerry and so he lost the election.

"Next there's what President Bill Clinton, under oath, said to the grand jury about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. I wrote it down so I can quote him--

"'It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If the--if he--if 'is' means is and never has been, that is not--that is one thing. If it means there is none, that was a completely true statement. . . Now, if someone had asked me on that day, are you having any kind of sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky, that is, asked me a question in the present tense, I would have said no. And it would have been completely true."

"I'm running out to time," Jack said, "But thus far I like what you're saying--taking it to those two phonies--Kerry and Clinton."

Again I didn't take the bait and continued--"Now let's turn to your boy. Trump."

"Shoot." I could hear him laughing.


"Trying to wiggle out of what he said about Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign, on his return to Washington from Helsinki, Trump 'clarified' his position on Russian meddling in the election. Again I wrote it down--

Trump now claims he was 'very strong' with Putin on election meddling

Read more

“'I thought it would be obvious, but I would like to clarify just in case it wasn’t. In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t.’ The sentence should have been: ‘I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t, or why it wouldn’t be Russia,’ sort of a double negative. So you can put that in, and I think that probably clarifies things pretty good by itself.'

Among other things do you really believe he knows anything about double negatives?" 

Jack didn't say a word. "So here's another one for you. Also about the aftermath of the summit with Putin. This time about the meaning of 'no' and 'yes.'"

"When asked during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday if he believes Russia is still seeking to meddle in U.S. political affairs, Trump initially answered, 'no,' a remark that led to criticism even from some Republican lawmakers.

After Trump's remarks, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders again tried to, quote, 'clarify' what Trump was saying 'no' to--she said he meant that he wasn't answering any questions at all, that he wasn't responding to the reporter's question itself."

I took a breath--"This is right out of Orwell's 1984. It's doublethink. And before you say that Trump was only doing the same thing as Kerry and Clinton, let me set you straight about that. Kerry was engaging in political spin and no matter how reprehensible it was for Clinton to have sex with Lewinsky and lie about it, what Trump did was of a higher order of magnitude, or a lower order--he violated his oath of office--he wasn't defending and protecting the Constitution conservatives so cherish. That alone justifies considering impeachment."

"Are you done?" Jack asked, "Because if you are I have one thing to say back to you--an Axios poll just came out out about how voters feel about the Helsinki meeting. The poll focused on the joint press conference that you and your people are all bent out of shape about. Well, 79 percent of Republicans said they approved of Trump's performance. What do you say to that?"

"Two things--they're still drinking the Kool-Aid, and 79 percent, as pathetic as that is, is not the usual 90 approval rating Trump gets from people like you. And further, I'll bet that at least half of these people are OK with the Russians meddling in our elections as long as they were helping Trump get elected."

With that, feeling a bit better, I hung up.

July 19, 2018--One-World Government & the Antichrist

I continue to struggle to understand all the reasons why Donald Trump so consistently takes seeming pleasure bashing and undermining global alliances such as the European Union (EU) and NATO. It's not just that he doesn't do "group" very well, preferring bilateral relationships. The reasons are more sinister.

The most obvious reason of course is because by doing Vladimir Putin's bidding Trump contributes to fulfilling Putin's desire to weaken and ultimately dominate the West. Putin has the goods on him and thus Trump is in effect a Putin operative.

Trump is doing a pretty good job of this. Just ask Angela Merkel. Europe's longest standing and most powerful leader is, thanks in significant part to Trump, now hanging by a political thread. Thus expect her to be pushed out of office in the next 6 to 12 months.

Trump is also taking on the EU because by doing so he is pandering to the core of his base--the millennialist-minded evangelicals who, while waiting for the Rapture, support him so fervently that they have little problem overlooking the fact that he has had three wives, has sexually assaulted women, and cavorted with porn stars such as Stormy Daniels.

Part of the End-Time scenario calls for the emergence of the prophesied One-World government and the appearance of the Antichrist, who will preside over it for three-and-a-half years. All will feel oppressed by this government because ultimate power as a result will be concentrated in the hands of the Devil. 

Next, though, will be the Second Coming of Jesus who will establish his own world government, which in time will result in the cataclysmic death of us all and the resurrection for some during the Last Judgement. (See, for example, endtimes.com.)

According to the Christian fringe (which in fact is quite large, variously estimated to be up to a third of Americans--again Trump's base) there have already been a number of organizations that might qualify as this End-Time government as well as who might be the Antichrist.

First, since the early 1970s there is the Trilateral Commission. Founded and funded by David Rockefeller, it is a non-partisan discussion group whose agenda is to foster closer cooperation among Japan, Western Europe, and North America. Millennialists see the Commission quite differently--as an organization that wants to overthrow the current world order.

As might be imagined, David Rockefeller himself was an Antichrist candidate as was Commission member Henry Kissinger.

Then there was the United Nations. An obvious choice with various of its secretary generals suspected to be the Antichrist.

And currently the most likely New-World Order government is the EU. Among other things that make this suspicion persuasive is the belief that its euro is the kind of universal currency prophesied in the Bible as evidence that the time is approaching when the Antichrist will appear.

The list of possible Antichrists is lengthy and diverse. It includes--

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of ISIS (I vote for him)
Alexis Tsipras, prime minister of Greece
Emmanuel Macron, president of France
Barack Obama (not much of a surprise)
Jared Kushner (he does need a real job)
Hillary Clinton (the only woman on the list)
And Canadian prime minister Justine Trudeau, who qualifies because he is anti-Zionist, pro-global government, promotes lawlessness and immorality, and is the leader of the northernmost country on earth--some scholars argue that the "king of the North" is the Antichrist. 

This is what is swirling around in the heads of a majority of Trump's people. It also helps explain why Trump is so motivated to destroy NATO and the European Union.

July 17, 2018--Trump's Presser

In case you missed it, here's a transcript of President Trump's presser with Vladimir Putin--

Q: Mr. president, did you confront President Putin about Russia's hacking Hillary Clinton's campaign during the 2016 election?

A: Server, server, server . . .  no collusion, no collusion, zero collusion . . . Server, server, server, server . . . Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton . . . No collusion, no collusion, no collusion . . . Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama . . . Server, server, server, server.

Q: Thank you Mr. President. 

July 16, 2018--Bromance In Helsinki

Here's what to expect today in Helsinki at the Trump-Putin summit--

Putin publicly will throw Trump a crumb or two. 

Just enough to make it appear that the president's strategy of "befriending" the Russian dictator in a one-on-one relationship is paying off.

Trump has already delivered for the Russian leader (even before he became president) and so, from his friend Vladimir Putin's perspective, he deserves his little reward.

Trump has shrugged off Putin's crimes in Crimea and the Ukraine; he has destabilized and thus weakened both NATO and the European Union (to Trump the EU is a "foe"); he has undermined the political standing of British prime minister, Theresa May (she mishandled Brexit because she didn't take his "advice"); and done all he could to undercut Europe's dominant economy and leader, Angela Merkel, claiming Germany is a "captive" of Russia; and Trump has ignored Putin's meddling in our presidential election and thus tampered with our democracy.

You and I even know why Trump has functioned as Putin's lackey--

Putin has the goods on him. 

Remember that infamous BuzzFeed dossier, the one that reports on Trump's private business dealings in Russia (some of them likely illegal) as well as those incendiary claims that Trump in 2013, while in Russia for the Miss Universe Pageant, cavorted with prostitutes and intentionally sullied the same hotel suite used by Michelle and Barack Obama. My guess is that Putin has a KGB video tape of those golden showers.

Thus, to help keep his boy propped up expect Putin to say he will personally investigate what's behind the recent indictment by the Mueller team of a dozen Russian intelligence operatives. Pretending to know nothing about it he will agree to look into the charge that they directly hacked Hillary Clinton's campaign and he will, with a straight face, promise to report what he finds directly to Trump. (Don't hold your breath waiting for the results of that investigation.) 

Also, expect Putin to say he will order his military to work more closely with America's special forces to coordinate the hunt in Syria for the remnants of ISIS (again, resist holding your breath); and, as a bonus for Trump being such an important member of the Putin team, the Russian president will agree to open bilateral discussions leading to a plan to reduce the number of strategic nuclear weapons. (Once more don't . . .)

Then, speaking of nuclear weapons, Putin will praise Trump for meeting with Kim Jong-un and will agree to use his non-existing influence to press Kim to actually denuclearize. My advice--again, don't hold your breath for any of this to happen. It's all about the pretending and photo-ops.

At the end of their private meeting, at a joint press conference, metaphorically speaking, expect nothing but hugs and air kisses. 

And after that, expect nothing. Except Putin's relentless campaign to weaken all aspects of American and Western European life. With Trump continuing to clear the way for him.

May 25, 2018--What Is He Up To?

It has been more than a month since I attempted to sum up what he is up to. Trump. Donald Trump.

At the time I said it was all about the Russians, money, and sex, with all three interconnected.

This is still the case.

Russia's agenda is easy to figure out--Vladimir Putin personally is reputed to be worth perhaps as much as $200 billion, with a B. Even more than Amazon's Jeff Bezos. Putin's oligarchic henchmen, who cut him in on every shady deal, if all their money were totaled, are worth at least another $100 bill more. Much of this money is hidden in various Western and U.S. assets like billion dollar condos in New York City and one-off loans to corrupt and desperate businessmen who do not have easy access to legitimate lending sources.

To protect all of this the Russians need compliant political leadership which will not allow too much snooping around in their shifty affairs. 

The best way for the Russians to assure compliant leadership is to have something on those leaders. Something like evidence that that leadership colluded with the Russians to covertly undermine the election chances of that leadership's political opponent. 

Also, something like having loaned money on "generous" terms with no questions asked to bail out that leader with dark money which was pre-laundered by Putin and his billionaire business partners. 

And then, to assure compliant leadership, it would be good to have something like very incriminating tidbits of gossip that would be devastating to that leader if it suddenly showed up on "Page Six" or CNN. Something like payoffs to adult film stars and sex tapes of that leader cavorting with prostitues of Russian vintage.

In our case didn't the younger of that leader's adult sons back in 2008, at a public meeting that was taped, casually mention that, "We have all the funding we need out of Russia"?

And didn't the older son--Junior--add, "We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia"?

Shouldn't this be played nightly to remind us that what I listed above is not just the product of a fevered imagination? But, I am not naive, that's another story.

Because of all this what that leader, Trump, is up to now is totally focused on the November elections. Because if the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives, come January 2019, the House Judiciary Committee will initiate impeachment proceedings with Trump as a result likely to be impeached since only a simple majority is required. 

(Even if in the unlikely case the Democrats were to take control of the Senate Trump will not be convicted and removed from office because that requires a supermajority, 67 of 100 votes.)

But "just" being impeached will mean the effective end of Trump's presidency and his life as he knows it. To be a loser, to him, is as bad as it gets.

Since Trump is obsessively focused on November expect him to do everything he can to feed his base and motivate them to turn out and vote for Republican candidates.

Thus we are currently seeing Trump and his enablers doing everything they can to feed the conspiratorial narrative that appeals to his most passionate and activated supporters, including claiming that what is underway is a partisan "witch hunt." That the entire justice system and the media are corrupt and colluding to bring him down.

We should pay attention to this as Trump is an expert when it comes to collusion.

Then, if all else fails there is the Gotterdammerung scenario where Trump goes up in flames and brings the metaphorical house down on all of us.

April 2, 2018--Sabre Rattling

One good thing about the resumption of the Cold War is that we'll finally get to see what if any goods Putin and the Russians have on Donald Trump.

During the entire 2016 campaign and the first year of his administration Trump had nothing but positive and admiring things to say about the Russian leader. For someone who was attempting to project a tough-guy, commander-in-chief image, in regard to Putin, Trump came off as quite a wimp. 

Some said that Trump the crypto-totalitarian had genuine admiration for how the Russian strongman governed. He was a role model for the draft-dodging Trump. 

Others claimed that Trump was blackmailed into overlooking Putin's dictatorial methods because the Russians knew about Trump's history of money laundering, including direct Russian involvement, and sexual peccadilloes. There is that titillating BuzzFeed dossier hanging over Trump's head that allegedly alludes to Trump's bad-boy behavior during the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013.

In response to Trump's obsequious behavior, Putin for the past two years has made a version of nice. Unlike with Obama, who he wouldn't even pretend to look in the eye, Putin has had many flattering things to say about candidate and then president Trump, calling him, for example, a "genius"; while Trump cooed back, "He has done a really great job of outsmarting our country." 

A seeming bromance. And perhaps, as unlikely as it might seem, some speculated that with Trump and Putin maybe actually getting along, there would be the opportunity for a genuine reset in Russian-American relations.

But then the Russians poisoned Russian ex-spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter in London in early May. Seizing on this to revive her collapsing political fortunes, British prime minister Theresa May somehow manged to get NATO allies to condemn and sanction Russia. Diplomats were expelled from England, France, Germany, and a host of other western European countries. Leading the world in expressing outrage, May even got Trump to agree to send home 60 Russian diplomat/spies and shut down the Russian consulate in Seattle.

Wounded by this, the Russians retaliated, expelling equivalent numbers of our diplomats and spies and shutting down our consulate in St. Petersburg. It was Cold War deja-vu all over again.

And to make his actions emphatic, Putin had the Russian military fire off one of their newest Satan 2 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that has the capacity, they claim, to carry up to 10 miniaturized hydrogen bombs.

So now we not only have North Korea launching missiles that can reach America, we have the Russians doing the same, claiming that their missiles are "invulnerable" to American defenses.

If you're having trouble sleeping nights, this may be the reason. If you have kids in school, expect them soon to be diving under their desks during "take-cover" drills.

And if Trump gives in to his aides (read, John Bolton) who, the New York Times reported, are calling for "tougher Russia policies"--presumably increasing economic sanctions against Putin and his billionaire cronies--expect Putin to reply tit-for-tat. 

Then, if we get deeper into things, such as killing more Russian "volunteers" fighting in Syria, if he has salacious stuff about Trump, expect Putin to begin to leak it out.

That will manage to push Stormy Daniels off the front pages.

December 28, 2017--AMAZON

Streets here can be so crowded that there are times of the day when wobbly me is better off not venturing out. 

Forget the roadways. Traffic is at a perpetual crawl. I read in the New York Times a couple of days ago that the average speed for vehicular traffic is now 4.7 miles per hour, not much more than walking speed, down from 6.5 mph just five years ago.

Keep this up and we will soon descend into a perpetual state of gridlock.

What to do?

Some are calling for congestion pricing--charging cars and trucks for the use of the streets--we are charged for parking so why not for driving? 

They are doing this in London and other places and some claim things have gotten marginally better. Those calling for this in NYC say the city and state can use the money collected to fix the deteriorating subway system. If that system gets worse (and it will) think about the consequences for car and truck traffic.

Others of course are disagreeing. They think it would be bad for business just as tax increases cause businesses to leave town, move south, go offshore.

More objective analysts are attempting to understand what is happening, what is causing this accelerating crash of the city's infrastructure. For the subways that's easy--people who have responsibility for maintaining the system have ignored the deterioration, kicking the serious and cascading problem down the road. Or tunnel.

Others blame the exponential proliferation of Uber and other new for-hire car services.

Yellow cab licenses for decades have been limited to 13,600, whereas the new car services have grown to103,000 vehicles prowling the streets--often without passengers and this, some claim, is primarily responsible for the crisis. They note that things were better just four years ago when there were "only" 47,000 affiliated with Uber and other emerging ride-share companies.

There is one more thing not mentioned--Amazon. Amazon, the on-line e-commerce behemoth. 

I should be the last one to blame Amazon for anything. We have an array of financial investments, including in stock funds, but only one individual stock. Amazon. Some time ago I thought that Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and CEO might turn out to be the world's best businessman. All time best and now richest man in the world. Other than Vladimir Putin. And so. I said, "Let's get some. Amazon stock." That obviously turned out well.

But self-interest aside, I think Amazon is a major contributor to the traffic mess.

Here's why--

Their package distribution system, which at the last link in the supply chain, requires delivery men to get your order from the truck to the lobby of your building.

And that's a lot of packages that require a lot of trucks in a place as densely populated as New York. Our building, for example, which has about 215 apartments is being buried in packages. We needed to renovate the lobby last year, minimally to quadruple the size of the package room. The doormen say our building is getting about 200 packages a day. Including, I need to confess--for us at least one delivery a day.

Books, clothing, shoes, groceries, beverages, paper goods, cosmetics, vitamins, small appliances.

To expedite this flow of deliveries, about a year ago, along many blocks of lower Broadway, Amazon cordoned off parking spaces with red traffic cones and semi-legally moved a fleet of trucks into those spaces. 

Along with the trucks--many apparently hired from companies such as Enterprise (look for Bezos to take them over)--comes a platoon of delivery men who fill another lane of traffic with their unloading and stacking of packages more than six feet high onto hand trucks which then get pushed along the sidewalks, contributing to foot traffic congestion.

It is true that we do get either same day or overnight delivery for our bath salts and probiotics, but at some expense to other aspects of our daily lives--for example, not being able to drive or walk. 

In the meantime, CEO Bezos, as of yesterday, is worth about $100 billion.