Law, Power, and Justice

LIFE AND NEWS NOTES FROM A CHILDLESS CAT LADY BEAVERING AWAY IN ONE OF THE SUB-BASEMENTS OF THE MINISTRY OF SNARK

Sunday 12 July 2026

Themes:

· TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS: ROBBING THE COUNTRY BLIND

· TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS: STEALING THE ELECTIONS

· TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS: ELIMINATING FREEDOM OF SPEECH*

· PLATNER – CLASS AND PARTY WARFARE

· UKRAINE, RUSSIA AND PUTIN *

· Themes to keep us from going crazy

· ART BLOGS: GAUGUIN, BERTHE MORISOT, CHRISTINA JOHNS

· CAT BLOG: JOHNS/DUGGAN 9-RESCUE CAT FAMILY *

Well, the first thing I saw this morning in the news was that Lindsey Graham was dead at the ripe old age of 71. CPR was being administered in Graham’s house just like at that of Mitch McConnell. Are they getting rid of all the people who oppose the Iran war? At least they’re admitting that Graham is dead. Mike noted that McConnell’s wife left for China soon after the cardiac arrest And as far as we know hasn’t been back. Ummmm.

Oh and the Strait is supposed to be closed again.

The cats out outside on their morning walk. Errol Flynn walked out to the dock with me. It’s a beautiful morning. The colors over across on the marsh are beautiful, bright, soft blues, and green yellows.

Insert Photograph

STEALING FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Article: Folkenflik, David and Willem Marx (7/11/26) “Justice department subpoenas New York Times…” NPR.

· The gutted out, pathetic, dangerous DOJ has had reporters at the NYT subpoenaed for their coverage of the Qatar inadequacies of the Air Force 1 plane.

· The information that the Secret Service urged Trump to leave the NATO SUMMIT in the older version of AF1 (do they carry around back up planes everywhere they go?) was because of security concerns. The story was anonymously sourced.

· The next day, another anonymous source was quoted as saying that the plane “lacked defensive countermeasures that were security features of the old model, including its advanced anti-missile capabilities.”

· So, four reporters were subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law.”

· The public has a right to know how their money is being spent. And this is a blatant attempt to intimidate journalists.

· Note: I have no idea why they would want to hold off on a story they wanted to include high-level names in unless they were trying to convince the high-levels to agree to using their names. Within the past couple of days there was a retired Secret Service official grumbing on Fox News about what they were even doing using the AF2 anyway. I must say I agree. This guy was saying why pay all this money to retrofit an airplane that is never going to be as secure as one we built from scratch. I have to agree. I think the entire idea was at best, pure narcissism, at worse some kind of deal, at worst some kind of surveillance subterfuge.

· “The move to subpoena the Times journalists is the latest escalation in Trump’s years-long effort to cow and control U.S. media outlets, following previous financial settlements with ABC News and CBS News 60 Minutes, this program alongside civil lawsuits and federal criminal actions taken against the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the BBC and others since he resumed office last year.”

Article: Betts, Anna (711/26) “Hunter Biden wins $1.7 m in suit over Iran bribery claim…” The Guardian.

· A federal judge awarded Hunter Biden punitive damages in a defamation lawsuit he filed against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne.

· Byrne is a Trump ally, denied the results of the 2020 election and funded efforts to overturn the results. The judge said that over the course of the case there was “ample evidence” that Byrne “knew the story (about Biden) to be false.”

THEME: TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICALS TRYING TO DESTROY EVERYTHING DECENT

Article: Canon, Gabrielle (7/10/26) “Death sentence…” The Guardian.

· The Trump administration has repealed a crucial part of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) which will open habitats of “imperiled wildlife to development, logging, mining and other uses.”

· For the past 50 years, the word “harm” had been included as the places crucial to their survival. The inclusion of habitat in the harm definition was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1995, which ruled in support of old growth forest protections relied on by endangered spotted owls. But despite widespread public support for a strong ESA and hundreds of thousands of public comments submitted opposing the change, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce reframed the definition as regulatory intrusions that interfered with private property rights and announced it would be rescinded. Habitat destruction is considered the strongest driver of species loss. The legislation has helped safeguard more than 1700 species in their habitats, preventing 99 per the percent of those listed from going extinct, most famously the bald eagle. Experts fea that the move could cause catastrophic damage to species already close to the brink.

· Stephanie Kurost KUROSE. Deputy director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity said the plan would be a “death sentence for Wolverines, monarch butterflies, Florida manatees and so many other animals and plants….”

THEME: REFUSAL TO REGULATE

Article: Felton, Ryan (7/8/26) Counterfeit Air-Bag Parts are killing U.S. drivers and the government can’t stop it.”

· After an automobile accident which virtually destroyed a young man’s mouth, it was found that the air bag, “had been purchased on EBAY and installed by the Texas dealership that sold him the used car. When it crashed, it sent metal shards flying into Kang’s face.”

· Others have been killed. Air-bag parts have been originating from a Chinese manufacturer.

THEME: UKRAINE ACCOUNTABILITY

Article: (7/11/27) “Zelensky says Ukraine officials ill be held accountable…” Reuters.

· Officials allowed weapons warehouses to operate inn a residential area outside Kyiv, where explosions killed 10 people. Zelensky said they had been identified and would be held accountable.

THEME: RUSSIA AND THE REMNANTS OF THE WAGNER GROUP

Article: Bariyo, Nicholas (7/11/26) “Wagner’s remnants are running an opioid empire in the center of Africa. The Wall Street Journal

· What’s left of the Russian mercenary group Wagner has established itself on the upper reaches of the Oubangui Riber where they run a drug empire beyond the reach of the law in Africa or even in Moscow.

· This empire is running a fiefdom based on the trug tramadol. In high enough doses it can become a highly addictive stimulant known as the “poor man’s cocaine.”

· The miners in Wagner’s gold mines are expected to work long hours and they use it to fend off hunger and fatigue. Fighters in the region’s years-long insurgency use it to make themselves braver.

· One researcher described the condition as a “pharmacological trance.”

· A former Wagner associate now says that their influence is so strong they supply tramadol to members of the elite presidential guard and an important youth militia known as the Sharks who regularly conduct armed patrols around the capital.

· Their chief target is the river trade bringing the pills in from the Demotic Republic of Congo.

· In the few years before Prigozhin’s death Wagner “was a powerhouse in Africa.” It employed mercenaries in Mali, Mozambique, Sudan, the Central African Republic and elsewhere to shore up unstable regimes.

· Russia coopted much of Wagner’s business in Africa, but the Central African Republic was more problematic. The leftovers have entrenched themselves into this remote area.

· Wagner first arrived in the country in 2018. Now, the old Wagner group has captured the state. It has gold-mining interests that remain in tact.

· Note: Much of the tramadol comes from India and is exported to Congo.

· The Wagner leftovers are closely integrated into the country’s national army and local militias, exploiting smuggling routes and diverting trade flows to maintain control over resources like the Oubangui River.

· Before going into battle, Wagner commanders distribute high doses of tramadol to fighters.

Article: (7/12/26) “remnants of the Wagner PMC…”UNN.

· The remnants of Wagner control gold mines in Central Africa, earning $`180 million annually. This is in addition to the tramadol smuggling.

· The group is led by the son of Yevgeny Prizozhin who is reported to have created the drug empire.

THEME: PUTIN RECRUITING

Article: (3/27/26) “African countries once again…recruiting by Russia…” UNN.

RUSSIA

Article: Fox, Robert (7/11/26/) “Voices: The 3 signs a desperate Putin…” The Independent.

• Last Monday the Patriot missiles ran out in Kyiv. Some 60 ballistic missiles got through. Ukraine was at the point of running out of Patriot 108M air defense missiles, the only “weapons capable of shooting down the Iskenders.”

• Ukraine is holding its position in the land war. In the ground war. There are more soldiers being lost in the fight than can be replaced.

• Ukraine has developed a potent attack force of missiles and drones, continually working old technology. It has proved a success. Quote Ukraine has succeeded in attacking the smaller factories building vital components in the manufacturing supply chain. End Quote.

• As usual, Russia is resorting to massive disinformation. Two of Putin’s most powerful information warriors, Maria Zakharova, and Nikolai Patrushev, Have accused Latvia of direct involvement in Ukraine’s war.

• In addition, a Russian Bear ELF reconnaissance bomber buzzed a naked buzzed a NATO. Task group on exercise in the Norwegian Sea. “The move was blatant, childish een, but had a oint.” Quote It came too close for comfort to the British carrier HMS Prince of Wales and dropped a score or so of anti submarine sonar buoys before being chased off by two British F35 fighters…. dot. Even if they worked for only a few minutes, the boys would find out what escort submarines NATO had in the area. Russian submarines… have been increasingly active across the north and overseas and the English Channel.

• “the sense of the war seeping from Ukraine and across the region is growing.” Latvia and ten northern members of NATO are “drawing up mass evacuation plans in cascade of attack by Russia.”

• “Crimea is increasingly an oasis of misery, short of fuel and water.”

• One of Putin’s most likely alternatives is to order a partial or full national mobilization. Quote to raise a minimum of 500,000 fresh troops It is sure to be accompanied by full martial law.”

THEME: MCCONNELL’S FINAL CRIME AGAINST DEMOCRACY

Article: Smith, David (7/11/26) “Mitch McConnell mystery….” Congress prepares to return from recess. McConnell has not been seen since 14 June. First responders gave CPR at his home (sound familiar?) This next session will be dominated by defense spending, national security and government funding bills.