Dispatches from Vilnius

One of the biggest frustrations among Lithuanian citizens is that the government hasn't done enough to prepare for the prospect of a Russian invasion.  In Vilnius, we don't have a vast underground metro system like they have in Kyiv.  All we have are basements, which aren't very bombproof if the Kremlin decides to launch air strikes on Vilnius in the near future.  There are some old bunkers that were built during Soviet times but they haven't been kept up and are now infested with vermin.  One journalist investigated these bunkers four years ago and the images were appalling .   Most of these bunkers date from the Cold War.  Some go back to between the world wars.  You can even visit an old nuclear missile base in the northwest part of the country, which we did a few years ago.  It probably looks better than any other underground facility thanks largely to it being a popular tourist destination for Lithuanians and foreigners alike.  How...

We're not even one month into His Orangeness' term and already the trade wars have begun. Trump has managed to alienate our closest neighbors and allies ten days into his administration.  This will not only increase inflation but lead to significantly higher prices at the pump as we get the majority of our imported oil from Canada and Mexico.  Thirty-plus years of a North American Free Trade Agreement, better known as NAFTA, goes down the drain to placate the petty grievances of a deeply addled man, driven by a group of advisors who seem to want to blow up the economy.  Is this what voters wanted when they pulled the lever for his Orangeness in November? You really can't say you didn't see this coming as Trump promised tariffs.  He wanted to be the Tariff King.  He sees it as a way of hard bargaining but you have to have an inordinate amount of leverage to bargain like this.  Given the trade deficits we have with virtually all our major trading partners, I...