Dispatches from Vilnius

More and more Trump reminds me of a bad imitation of Rodney Dangerfield.  Granted, he can be funny in spite of himself but most of the time he just comes off incredibly stupid.  Here he was promoting Tulsi Gabbard's absurd claim of Obama's sedition in the 2016 elections during a WH meeting with Filipino leader Marcos.  " Obama was sedatious ." Obama wasn't laughing.  He blasted the bizarre allegations but that didn't stop Republican Congressional leaders from trying to pass off Russia's meddling in the 2016 elections as a false flag despite ample proof of their involvement.  Trump's Deputy AG at the time launched an investigation , if for no other reason than to clear Trump's name. Donald took such personal offense that he held Sessions and Rosenstein directly responsible for dragging his name into it.  The circus went on for months with Robert Mueller eventually concluding that there was Russian interference but that it didn't alter the outco...

For all the talk that Trump has grown impatient with Putin over the ceaseless war in Ukraine, there is much this administration is lifting from the Kremlin playbook.  The recent "merger" of Paramount and Skydance being a prime example. A tech oligarch will now have control over Paramount's extensive holdings including CBS.  The merger clearly favors Skydance and will see David Ellison, son of Oracle tech oligarch Larry Ellison, as the CEO.  Both are avid supporters of Trump and are hoping that the FCC will speed things along so that they can wrap up this deal by September. "Varied ideological perspectives" just means CBS will be less "woke," and help further the conservative narrative when it comes to politics.  This also means ditching The Late Show where Stephen Colbert had been dishing on the merger for months, calling the $16 million settlement between 60 Minutes and Trump a bribe.  Trump had initially sued CBS for $10 billion over what he rega...

My neighbor called last night to congratulate me on the Fourth of July.  I didn't think much of it as I've been living in Lithuania for the last 27 years, but I thanked him just the same.  Maybe we should plan a barbeque, he asked?  Our once a summer get-together as we aren't very close but it is always nice to reconnect.  One summer, I played Jaws on an outdoor screen to satisfy the kids as we had hamburgers along with Greek salad and other fixings.  A very Fourth of July thing to do. However, this time around I don't feel so convivial.  What transpired over the past week left me with a very empty feeling as I watched Republican after Republican cave in to Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," knowing full well it would have a devastating impact on the country. For a moment it looked like Lisa Murkowski would hold her ground but eventually John Thune offered enough concessions for Alaska that she signed on, giving the GOP the 50 senators they needed with VP Vanc...