[guest post by Dana]
Let’s go!
First news item
About President Zelensky’s meeting with the Senate:
Zelensky told the group Ukraine might not need extra funding from Congress if the U.S. lifts restrictions on its ability to use long-range weapons to strike inside Russia.
Both parties have been wary of allowing Zelensky to strike deep into Russia, worried it would shift the U.S. from a cold war to a hot war.
Still, Democrats and Republicans emerged from the meeting urging President Biden to grant Zelensky’s request to strike targets within Russia.
Here are the details of the latest military aid package to Ukraine.
President Zelensky has provided a victory plan to the U.S.:
The theory of victory is based on two assumptions. First, Russia cannot sustain its efforts for the long term, and sufficient disruption of the Kremlin’s capabilities will bring the Russians to the table to negotiate. Second, if the West commits to a rapid and major resupply effort for the Ukrainian military, accompanied by robust security guarantees, the Russians will be forced to recognize they cannot overwhelm Ukraine in a war of attrition.
The heart of the Ukrainian victory plan shifts the center of gravity from the battlefields of Eastern Ukraine to Russia’s war-making capabilities. Bringing an end to the conflict requires Ukraine to have the ability to disrupt and damage Russia’s ability to manufacture and deploy its arsenal before it reaches Ukraine.
It, therefore, requires not only Western permission to use NATO-supplied systems but also enough equipment to deliver swift and significant disruptive blows. It also asks for more precise Western security guarantees to raise the risks for Russia’s escalation calculus in the future.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen explains:
This is primarily a question about Russia and their imperial dreams…I think it is important in itself to talk about Russia, and not about Putin, because the way I see it is that he actually has a lot of support from Russian society for whatever he is doing…When you have this as a starting point — that there are unfortunately old-fashioned imperial dreams in Russia — then it’s more difficult to find a way out of this war, because it’s not primarily a question about Ukraine…Therefore we have to ensure that Ukraine wins this war.
And importantly:
Specifically, Frederiksen said, she wants Ukraine to be able to use long-range missiles to hit targets in Russia. “I don’t think it’s enough to deliver what is needed to protect themselves. They need to be able to push Russia back.” As Russian forces continue to advance despite the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, there’s a renewed urgency for that push, which is roiling the Biden administration and NATO.
Asked for her thoughts on why these restrictions on Ukraine’s use of weapons have remained in place, Frederiksen said: “I guess a part of it is a very modern way of thinking that there will be some kind of a solution to this war. But I don’t think it’s possible to win a war if you are not willing actually to win it.”
Second news item
Not a small number:
North Carolina’s State Board of Elections has removed 747,000 people from its list of registered voters within the last 20 months, officials announced Thursday in a press release.
The State Board of Elections in the release said the majority of those stripped from the rolls were deemed ineligible to be registered because they had moved within the state and did not register their new address, or because they did not participate in the past two federal elections, prompting an inactive status.
Other reasons for removal included death, felony convictions, out-of-state moves and personal requests for removal, the board said.
Note:
The presidential race in North Carolina remains on a knife’s edge. On Thursday, polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight had the two candidates separated by just 0.6 percentage points (Harris on 47.3 percent and Trump on 47.9 percent).
Third news item
Money, money,money:
Donald Trump’s latest money-making venture is selling limited edition gold watches, adding to a long list of collectibles the former president and reality TV star has promoted to his supporters.
Trump has continued his entrepreneurial tendencies throughout his political career, often using his popularity as a launch pad for a variety of products, both physical and digital. His latest offering, simply branded as “TRUMP Watches,” asks supporters of the Republican nominee to spend at least $499, to join “President Trump’s Watch Community.”
Additionally, a limited edition watch called the Trump Victory Tourbillion is available for $100,000, with only 147 being manufactured, a reference to Trump’s goal of becoming the 47th president.
A disclaimer on the watch website reads: “Trump Watches are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals. TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC uses the “Trump” name, image and likeness under a paid license agreement.”
The watches are the latest in a series of products sold by the former president. Earlier this week, Trump announced that he would also be selling a series of silver coins with his face on them, for $100 each.
The report states that Trump netted $300,000 off the “Trump Bibles” he was hawking. Additionally, he is said to have made between $100,000 and $1 million for his digital trading cards.
Fourth news item
NYC Mayor Eric Adams indicted:
Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges out of the Southern District of New York, making him the first sitting mayor of New York City to face criminal prosecution.
Adams has denied any wrongdoing on his part and any knowledge of wrongdoing regarding a series of probes surrounding his administration. He says the charges are based on lies and that he won’t resign.
You can read the indictment at the link. China and Turkey appear frequently…
Meanwhile, Gov. Hochul is considering her options:
Gov. Kathy Hochul has begun to examine a long-dormant power that lets governors remove local officials such as New York City mayors, following Thursday’s indictment of Eric Adams.
Fifth news item
A grim ending…for the victims and the inmate sentenced to death for the killings:
Alan Eugene Miller was executed Thursday evening in Alabama, state officials said, making him the second inmate known to die by nitrogen hypoxia, a controversial method critics say is tantamount to torture.
Miller, 59, who was sentenced to death in 2000 for the 1999 killings of three men, was pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m. at a prison in Atmore, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said at a news conference.
Miller shook and trembled on a gurney for about two minutes, with his body at times pulling against restraints, according to The Associated Press, which had a reporter witness the procedure. The shaking and trembling was followed by about six minutes of periodic gulping breaths before he became still, the AP reported.
Sixth news item
Tucker Carlson’s circus act starring Roseanne Barr has come to town. Barr had some sort of fit as she crazily blathered on about Democrats, or maybe Haitians. I mean, who knows. When crazy comes to town, all bets are off:
It’s not just the dogs and the cats. There are full-on vampires, and everybody still thinks I’m crazy. But I’m not crazy. They’re full-on vampires. They love the taste of human flesh, and they drink human blood. They do. By the time we go in to vote for Trump, that he will open up everybody’s eyes and they will stop pretending to be asleep. You know what they say. You can’t wake people up that are pretending to be asleep. But I pray to God, please wake up. Even those who are pretending to be asleep with the irrefutable truth of what the worst people on this planet are really up to. They are really up to that. They’re doing it. There are so many victims. There are so many victims!
It’s both sad and frightening how much the audience applauds her insane comments.
Seventh news item
Talk about the nuttery that has infiltrated and co-opted the new political Right and the Evangelical Church:
Have a great weekend.
-—Dana