Law, Power, and Justice

MORNING

        Well, here we are.  Another Monday.  Trump is working to destroy the economic system.  Meidas (8/3/25) is reporting that Trump’s former biographer, Michael Wolff, is saying that Trump is phoning up close friends to say that he didn’t kill Jeffery Epstein.  Wolff says he tried to get Epstein to release the information he has on Trump (including topless girls sitting in Trump’s lap) but Epstein was worried about what Trump would do to him.  Meidas continues: “…Epstein was a threat to Trump, especially once Trump entered the White House.  But Epstein also knew the dirt, the finances, the accusations, the real estate games with organized crime.”  (Note: Hear more on Meidas Touch Podcast).

UKRAINE: Euromaidan Press

• Germany has raided a machine tool company for sending high-tech machines to Russia (Euromaidan Press).
• In response to Trump’s moronic trade wars, China has tightened export controls on rare earth elements which are essential for manufacturing weapons.  “…China controls about 90% of the global rare earth minerals market.  American manufacturers have become dependent on Chinese suppliers.”  (Euromaidan Press)  (Note: What on earth are we paying this enormous military/industrial complex for?  Nobody saw this coming?  This is exactly like the control China has on the ingredients for generic drugs.  I just don’t understand why we would let ourselves get into a position where we are dependent on rival countries for essential resources.  And then, why would any one person, just thinking of, well, let’s say Trump, be allowed to spark a trade war with that country?)
• Poland’s fighter jets are now scrambling nightly because Russians are testing the eastern border of Ukraine with drones (Euromaidan Press).
• On August 4, Ukraine launched a drone strike on the Saky airbase in occupied Crimea (Euromaidan Press).
• The Russian’s detained three Russian teenagers for driving to film a burning oil depot hit by Ukrainian drones (Euromaidan Press).
• Ukraine hit Major Russian rail hub delaying passenger trains in Southern Russia (Euromaidan Press).

UKRAINE: Reading Around

Sarotte, M.E.  “Why they fight: What’s at stake in the blame game over Ukraine.”  Foreign Affairs.  May/June 2025

• Trump and Putin both blame other parties for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 
• For anyone interested in the details of the story that the West promised, or committed to a non-expansion of NATO, this is an interesting read.  Quote: “You should never have started it.”  Donald Trump to Zelensky.
• It is a review of British historian, Jonatan Haslam’s new book , “Hubris: The American Origins of Russia’s War Against Ukraine.”  Haslam is not the only one to argue that NATO expansion is directly responsible for Russia’s attack on Ukraine.  He, in fact, claims that those participating in that expansion “knew exactly what they were doing.”   Haslam claims that Russia was “promised” that NATO would not expand into the East in a bargain to secure German reunification. 
• Sarotte, however, points out in his review that Haslam, like many others (including Putin), cherry pick selectively bits of evidence to construct this argument.  While the possibility of NATO non-expansion was discussed during the negotiations about German unification, Sarotte details how the notion was presented and to whom, who was authorized, and not authorized, to offer such a deal, whether this strategy was pursued or dismissed (by H.W. Bush) in favor of “credits and other forms of funding.”  And, the most crucial fact – that there was never any agreement in writing to such a transaction – has to be conclusive.
• Sarotte discusses what I have always found to be the most insulting implication of the entire “the West made them do it” argument.  The interpretation “underestimates the will of central and eastern Europeans and, above all, Ukrainians.”  “Ukraine deliberately sought to break away from Moscow.”
• Sarotte also describes some of the actions being taken by Russia during this period that made Eastern European countries more nervous about their new independence and more concerned to establish ties to the West.  As Sarotte notes: “Membership (in NATO) was not imposed upon them.”
• In short, the situation after the talks about unification was a “Soviet diplomatic failure.”  The Soviets did not establish a legally binding agreement preventing the expansion of NATO, but instead “settled for limits on NATO’s activities and infrastructure as it enlarged.”

TRUMP TYRANNY

Politics: Olga Lautman and Zev Shalev “Trump Tyranny Tracker” 4 August 2025

• Lautman is talking about the Russians sending a message to Trump without using formal channels.  (Note: Not sure what this is about).
• The DOJ is intimidating state officials about releasing voting information.  In Colorado, they demanded access to voting machines.
• Abott in Texas is threatening Democratic lawmakers with criminal prosecution for their efforts to prevent the redistricting.   
• Palantir has gained new contracts with the federal government and access to vast amounts of data.  Stephen Miller owns stock in Palantir. 
• Laughtman: “THIS IS NOT TRUMP.  THIS IS REPUBLICANS.”

Other

• New book by Robert Reich “Coming Up Short.” 
  
  Night, Pooper and Myra had a little ball of fur whirling around on the living room floor fight yesterday afternoon. Myra is getting more and more feisty. Night