Dispatches of alarm and hope, on politics and society, democracy and justice. Because silence is not an option. We may read and write alone, but we drive change together. Trump and Putin's Unholy Alliance The guy who claims he cares about "America First" heads to Alaska this week where he'll likely bow to the interests of the Russian president Steven Beschloss Aug 11 Trump and Putin in 2018 after their private meeting in Helsinki—and minutes before Trump betrayed America. (Photo by Chris McGrath via Getty Images) I will never get over July 16, 2018, when a beaten-looking Donald Trump emerged from a private meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki and betrayed America. He did so by siding with the Russian dictator over the findings of our nation’s 17 intelligence agencies concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election. "President Putin says it's not Russia,” Trump said. “I don't see any reason why it would be.” Unsurprisingly, the White House occupant who’s currently engaged in a cover-up of his involvement with child rapist and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, made sure that no interpreter’s notes from that Helsinki meeting would ever see the light of day. In fact, while it was widely reported that Trump confiscated his interpreter’s notes after a meeting with Putin in Hamburg, Germany in 2017, that was just one of five one-on-one encounters with Putin from which there’s no detailed record even in classified files. As the Washington Post reported in 2019, this was “part of a broader pattern by the president of shielding his communications with Putin from public scrutiny and preventing even high-ranking officials in his own administration from fully knowing what he has told one of the United States’ main adversaries.” (Asked about this by a reporter, Trump said dismissively that his talks with Putin are “none of your business.”) I would add that this tracks with Trump’s consistent pattern of never publicly criticizing Putin, adding weight to the still-alarming assertion that he is a long-time asset of Russia, dating back to his first visit to Moscow in 1987 and years and years of laundering dirty Russian money through his real estate operations. There is, of course, much more to say about Trump’s Russian involvements, which he has sought with mind-numbing repetition to cover up as the “Russia, Russia, Russia hoax”—not least of which is how his unholy alliance with Putin belies his phony claim that he’s committed to “America First.” This Friday Trump is meeting Putin in Alaska. He’s billing it as a peace talk concerning the end of the Russia-Ukraine war. But let’s not be lulled into believing that this is not just another self-serving venture for Trump. What kind of peace talks are they when the meeting only involves Trump and Putin, who is responsible for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the deaths of as many as 100,000 Ukrainians? They can fallaciously portray the meeting as a meeting to seek peace but it won’t include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who would be the only one there sticking up for Ukraine and democracy. Nor, by the way, do Trump and Putin show the slightest interest in involving NATO or the European Union. And what kind of peace talks are they when Trump henchman and the regime’s NATO ambassador, Matthew Whittaker, goes on national TV Sunday and declares, “No big chunks or sections are going to be just given that haven't been fought for or earned on the battlefield." Really? ‪Illegally invade a country, commit war crimes on a mass scale, and then Trump’s operative talks about the invader “earning” a sovereign nation’s land? Let’s not forget that candidate Trump boasted he’d end the war in 24 hours. Nearly seven months into this arsonist’s destruction of America—the kind of destruction that even Putin couldn’t have dreamed possible—Trump has proven himself unable to motivate the Kremlin’s murderous thug to stop the killing and go home. Trump already declared on Friday that there would need to "be some swapping of territories" for Russia and Ukraine to reach a settlement. Talk about the “art of the deal.” But Zelensky wasn’t having it. "We will not reward Russia for what it has perpetrated," he replied. "Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace." Moreover, Zelensky insisted any conclusions reached without Kyiv’s input would amount to “dead decisions.” He also said a deal that involved Russia taking control of seized regions is “against our Constitution.” So we are left to wonder what Trump is really after in hosting Putin on American soil, which in an alternate world would be an opportunity to act on the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for his deadly actions in Ukraine. Yes, last month Trump uncharacteristically told the BBC that he was "disappointed by Putin.” He then set an August 8 deadline for the Russian president to agree to an immediate ceasefire or face more severe US sanctions. In a clear sign of how seriously Putin takes Trump’s demands, Russia has expanded its drone and missile attacks in Ukraine, resulting in record civilian casualties. Trump can claim that his special envoy Steve Witkoff had “highly productive” discussions with Putin in Moscow this week, but don’t count on this meeting leading to an agreement that genuinely paves the way toward peace. Given Trump’s ridiculous obsession with winning a Nobel Peace Prize, he may have an actual desire to see an end to the bloodshed. But we have no reason to assume that he would risk crossing Putin to get there. It’s always sensible to consider the worst motivations for Trump’s actions. So let’s not doubt the possibility that he’s looking at his unholy alliance with Putin as an opportunity to get his support if Trump emulates him by invading a sovereign territory such as Greenland or Panama and then demanding peace only after seizing control of the desired region. I hope I’m wrong. But we are unlikely to know what exactly Trump does arrange with Putin, since his backroom dirty dealings are always “none of your business.” That’s what he thought in 2019, and it’s surely what he thinks now as his so-called presidency is primarily focused on self-dealing, retribution and cover-ups. I would still like to know what kompromat—compromising information useful for blackmail—Putin is successfully holding over Trump. If Trump emerges Friday looking anything like he did after his private session with Putin in Helsinki, you can be sure that Mr. America First is still focused on serving Russia first. COMMENTS:  And now those 17 agencies seem to be fully on the side of Trump and Putin. It's no longer a rogue President; it's a betrayal the magnitude of which we did not imagine, just six years ago. True, many of us are outraged. But the outrage is muffled, when it needs to be deafening. Why was he allowed to launder Russian money for decades with no consequences? Why are known Russian assets in our government? Kompromat. Hmmm. As Heather Cox Richardson offered in one of her newsletters this week, perhaps Putin has proof of Trump's actual involvement with Epstein's girls. If the Russians were able to hack Hillary's emails, what makes us think that they haven't hacked the Epstein files, or any of the surveillance cameras throughout Epstein's many residences? We know that world leaders work up detailed profiles of other leaders so that they know what they are dealing with in any negotiation or meeting. It's likely the US intel community has such a profile on Putin but Trump can't read and Tulsi wouldn't dare give him bad news. I'm not a conspiracy freak, but I don't think it's a stretch to conclude Putin definitely has kompromat and that Trump is terrified of it getting out. And as for any "peace" deal regarding Ukraine, it is only right and proper that Zelensky says to those two evil autocrats: go fuck yourselves. U.S. BANKS stopped lending to TRUMP after the CASINO fiascos in which he overspent & had no personal commitment in violation of NJ GAMING REGULATIONS. RUSSIA subsequently bailed TRUMP out, paid a premium for real estate money laundering schemes. (Now Trump is going after banks for discriminating against him?).  Note that RUDY GHOULiani made his reputation by prosecuting 'organized crime,' but ignored the Russian Mafia.  David Cay Johnston wrote 2 well researched books about TRUMP'S CASINOS.  SENATOR RON WYDEN has reported on the TREASURY WIRE TRANSFERS to one EPSTEIN account. Those need to be investigated.  excerpt:  There are specifics: Banks flagged more than $1.5 billion in transactions involving Epstein. They included “thousands of wire transfers for the purchase and sale of artwork for rich friends, fees paid to Mr. Epstein by wealthy individuals, and payments to numerous women.” Very intriguing.  The Republican Party’s Assault on Democracy: From George W. Bush to Donald Trump https://www.craigunger.com/books ALTHOUGH WE'D NEVER PURCHASE FROM AMAZON, THEY OFFER REASONABLE INFORMATION ABOUT CRAIG UNGER'S BOOK - SURELY AVAILABLE FROM YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY Craig Unger https://www.amazon.com/stores/Craig%20Unger/author/B001H6EMQO THIS BOOK WAS RIVETING!  Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Russia’s underworld will be explored in new book excerpt:  Two weeks after the death of disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, publisher Dutton announced a new book that will explore his connections with the Russian underworld. Journalist Craig Unger, author of “House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia,” will release a new book about Russian connections to public figures, including Epstein, U.S. Atty. Gen. William Barr and President Trump, the Penguin Random House imprint revealed Tuesday. The publisher said the book, due for release in 2020 and as yet untitled, “will contain deeply reported, explosive newsbreaks that shed new light on Russian ties to powerful politicians and financiers.” The Department of Justice did not respond to request for comment about Unger’s book. Amanda Walker, Dutton’s publicity director, said the book was in the works before Epstein died in custody on Aug. 10 while awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. “In light of Jeffrey Epstein’s recent suicide, Unger will pursue the story behind his death as the news unfolds and will continue to research his connections using the civil suits against his estate and the prosecution of his co-conspirators,” the Dutton announcement said. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2019-08-27/jeffrey-epstein-russian-ties-craig-unger Excerpt from CRAIG UNGER's book indicates PUTIN has EPSTEIN's VIDEOS.... American Kompromat: How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery READ Craig Unger's book(s) available from your public library: American Kompromat: How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery Hardcover – January 26, 2021 by Craig Unger (Author) RUSSIA HAS THE VIDEOS!  • How John Mark Dougan, a former deputy sheriff in Mar-a-Lago’s Palm Beach County, says he acquired 478 videos confiscated from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, fled to Moscow, became only the fourth American to win asylum in Russia, and immediately gained access to Putin’s inner circle, showing the ongoing power that comes from kompromat and how its value is highest before it is “used.”  ADDITIONAL COMMENT: Most importantly, is the story of Deputy Sheriff John Mark Dougan. He was a former Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy and was “under investigation by the FBI for allegedly collaborating with Russian military intelligence to spread misinformation about Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. (25 WPBF News, written by Malcolm Shields, October 25, 2024) Before his arrest, Dougan snatched from the Evidence Room all 478 videos from Epstein’s files. He then drove to Toronto and caught a plane to Moscow.” According to Craig Unger, “Dougan was only the 4th American to receive asylum in Russia.” He presented the Russians evidence - known in Russia as Kompromat - to be used against worldwide leaders - including Donald Trump. FLIGHTS have been documented: Jeffrey Epstein’s island: What really happened there? Accusers say billionaire’s private paradise of Little St James in U.S. Virgin Islands was centre of international sex trafficking ring https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/jeffrey-epstein-island-where-virginia-giuffre-visitors-b2740242.html  THE GUARDIAN PANNED UNGER'S BOOK: American Kompromat review: Trump, Russia, Epstein … and a lot we just don't know This article is more than 4 years old A new book on the old president is titillating but scattershot, a compendium of wild stories and salacious accusations https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/07/american-kompromat-review-trump-russia-epstein-craig-unger The FBI cleaned out EPSTEIN'S ISLAND - where's the information?  This is a history of EPSTEIN'S ISLAND https://youtu.be/WkVFLjB6lDQ?si=xdFtwe2N-xw8xjr4 These meetings are the laughingstock of the world now even as they are equally as dismaying. We and the world look on in disgust, as these performative coffee klatches appear by design to continue to solidify the mutual financial benefit between the two of them. But why Alaska? Do they still have their sights set on Greenland? Is that Trump’s ‘finger in the eye’ to Lisa Murkowski? I still can’t wrap my mind around four long years of this fox cleaning out the open hen house through a door left wide open by congress and the Supreme Court. Where does this end? With ICE-retained retirees and young thugs roaming the streets looking for illegal immigrants because they can’t find other employment? With a Justice Department rounding up “the usual suspects” because Trump can’t abide criticism or admit that he WON the 2016 election with a “little help from his friend”? The path always seems to end at Russia’s door…and that scares the hell out of me.