Law, Power, and Justice

Monday 17 March, Tuesday 18 March 2025

LIFE AND NEWS NOTES FROM A CHILDLESS ELDERLY CAT LADY WORKING AWAY IN A SUBBASEMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF SNARK

Quote of the Day: “He’s trying to destroy you.  He’s trying to destroy the nation.”  Keith Olbermann talking about Donald Trump

Quote of the Day: “Yes, it’s time to fight.  It’s past time to fight.” Sarah Longwell.

Ukraine

It appears that Ukraine has moved troops back from territory formerly taken in the Kursk region of Russia.  There were fears that Russian troops were going to encircle Ukrainian forces.  Saving some of their best troops may have been considered more important than maintaining control of the territory.

Ukraine:

The U.S. Media

It just amazes me still that this collection of fascist men have changed the world in a few years.

David Ignatius is on Morning Joe asking whether Donald Trump considers various policies as in “America’s interests.”  Donald Trump doesn’t give a rat’s ass what is and is not in America’s interests.  He is part of what Sarah Kenzior calls a “transnational crime syndicate.  Commentators like David Ignatius (who have been living off their position in the legacy journalism world for years are part of what continues to normalize Trump and what he is doing.  To sit there on the Morning Joe set and pontificate about what Trump considers in “America’s interests,” supposes a normal president, a normal presidency.  Until these people stop acting like Trump is a rational actor, presiding over a rational administration, we will continue to be swept under the tidal wave of authoritarianism.

(Note: David Ignatius, incidentally, was one of the journalists who loudly supported the Iraq war.  He, like many others, later apologized for it.)

They just cannot, will not let go of the delusion that Trump is an independent actor, laying awake at night, mulling over what is in America’s interest.  Trump is a Putin puppet.  If you want to read a detailed account of how Trump wormed his way into money laundering for the Russians and then failure (and perfect asset) that he is, depended more and more on Russian crime and largess, read Craig Unger’s “American Kompromat.” 

No one narrative has the explanatory power of “Trump as a Putin asset.”  Just look at anything Trump is doing and it is obvious.

Trump presented Putin a gift yesterday.  He eliminated Voice of America with the announcement coming from the Stooge Marci Rubio announcing the end of the Cuban version.  What an utterly soulless man Rubio is.

New York Times: Ukraine (3/17/25)

•       Putin and Trump will talk on Tuesday.

•       Trump (greedy sob that he is) has been talking about power plants and “dividing up” Ukrainian assets.

•       Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day cease-fire.  The Russians (greedy Sobs that they are) have not.

•       The remarks about the “power plants” is thought to refer to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which Russia has controlled since its capture.  Ukraine has demanded that the Russians leave, but it is unlikely Putin will agree. The plant is in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region which Rusia has officially annexed despite controlling only part of its territory.

New York Times: Ukraine (3/17/25)

•       Putin and Trump will talk on Tuesday.

•       Trump (greedy sob that he is) has been talking about power plants and “dividing up” Ukrainian assets.

•       Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day cease-fire.  The Russians (greedy Sobs that they are) have not.

•       The remarks about the “power plants” is thought to refer to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which Russia has controlled since its capture.  Ukraine has demanded that the Russians leave, but it is unlikely Putin will agree. The plant is in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region which Rusia has officially annexed despite controlling only part of its territory.im

New York Times: Ukraine (3/18/25)

• The agreement that resulted from the call between Trump and Putin appears to benefit Russia more than Ukraine (Surprise, surprise).
• Putin agreed to a pause in strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days.  This is short of the unconditional cease fire Ukraine agreed to.
• The attacks on civilians, cities and ports will continue.
• The pause benefits Russia because “Ukraine has conducted extensive strikes on oil and gas facilities deep into the Russian heartland, jeopardizing Moscow’s most crucial stream of state revenue.”
• Putin is making a set of impossible demands – “an end to all of the  military support for Ukraine….pause personnel mobilization and rearmament….accept Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territory, agree to neutral status, or agree to reduce the size of its armed forces….”  They also refuse to agree to any peacekeeping troops. 

Ukraine: MSNBC Nicolle Wallace

• There were no concessions from Russia or discussions of punishment for starting the war.
• Alexander Vindman called it a “terrible deal.”  “Trump moves to normalize relations with Russia for trinkets.”  “No one has been played as hard as Donald Trump.”
• Michael Crowley: Putin is playing along and “playing for headlines.”  Putin is making “extravagant demands.”  Putin is looking for huge concessions by Ukraine.
• Russia has also been employing a covert campaign – targeting undersea cables, warehouses, and railways.  (Note: Ship detained for dragging and attempting to sabotage an underwater cable.)
• Mitch McConnell says we want to prevent a headline that says “Russia wins.  America loses.)  that is the extent of feeling that McConnell has for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. 
• Putin wants to topple the Zelensky government. 
•  

Yemen

The U.S. is bombing Yemen.  Trump sold himself as a president who would stop war.  He is now bombing Yemen.  The Houthi minister now says they are at war with the U.S.  Iran will pay the consequences for further attacks(Reuters, 3/18/25). 

U.S.

Trump sent Venezuelans to El Salvador despite a judicial order.

New York Times: Detention Facilities:

(Note: Trump’s detention plans are going to leave private prison companies awash in money.  Cultural Note: If you haven’t watched “Orange is the new black” do so.  The later seasons depict some of the problems of private detention facilities.)

•       “The two family detention centers in Texas are being run by private prison companies….The site in Killey, which is operated by CoreCivic, can hold up to 2,400 people.  The other, a 1300 bed facility in Karnes is managed by GEO group.”

New York Times: Immigration (3/18/25)

Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare statement to rebuke Trump for calling for the impeachment of the federal judge hearing a deportation case involving Venezuelans.  (Note: If you have not see the celebratory video put out by the El Salvadorean president of buses transporting the Venezuelans to a massive concentration camp in El Salvador.  Just the image of the camp is terrifying.)

Cyber World

Moscow Times: Feoktistov, Dmitry/Tass (3/17/25)

•       The Russian Central Bank has proposed restricting cryptocurrency transactions to the wealthiest individuals, preventing most citizens from trading digital assets unless they meet stringent financial criteria.

•       The proposal suggests allowing companies already qualified to participate.  These include professional financial market participants such as banks, insurance companies, brokers, brust managers, no-state pension funds and asset management companies for mutual investment funds.

•       Russia is introducing measures to regulate digital assets which have become more important since financial restrictions after the invasion of Ukraine.

•       In 2024, the country legalized “cryptocurrency mining, while a new tax regime for digital assets took effect in 2025.

Trump: CNN: Over the weekend, Trump has

•       Defied court orders on deportations

•       Attacked the legitimacy of court orders

•       Targeted third law firm tied to his self-perceived enemies

•       Made demands on Columbia University

•       Tightened grip on Kennedy Center

•       Shut down Voice of America

•       Accused news media of “illegal” activity

Podcasts:

The Daily Beans (3/18/25)

• Ninth Circuit rejects Trump bid to stay firing of federal workers.  Last week’s ruling from Senior U.S. District Judge Wiliam Alsup requires “six agencies to offer reinstatement to thousands of terminated employees….Alsup blocked the Trump administration from firing thousands of federal employees, and ordered the immediate reinstatement of probationary workers…fired from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Pentagon and many other government agencies..”  At a hearing, Alsup was “visibly frustrated” because “the government is obfuscating the truth because it has refused to make Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel management available to testify about his role in ordering the firings…  The letter firing the employees claimed that it was for performance reasons (Courthouse News Service, 3/17/25).
• Tricare (medical insurance for military) rescinded approvals for over $100,000 in health care claims paid years ago to a Navy veteran and his wife (NBC News, 3/13/25)  The Daily Beans hosts speculate that because of the massive firings, insurance companies are double dipping and this is not being caught by the government.  Tricare has various subcontractors.  (Note: This is the beginning of what we are going to experience with Medicare.)

Good Sources of Information

• Courthouse News