1. Quote from Robert Reich
2. Election Info;
3. Tollway Spam/Phishing Texts;
4. A mission for listeners;
5. Montgomery County considers creation of government efficiency task force;
6. West University officials install new pedestrian mobility enhancements;
7. Houston Mayor John Whitmire halts J City initiatives citing ‘conflict of interest’;
8. Houston Mayor John Whitmire to propose banning city’s residents from sleeping on the streets;
9. Gov. Abbott orders TEA probe of Houston school for calling a student by chosen name and pronouns;
10. Yes, GOP congresswoman introduced a bill to make Trump’s birthday a federal holiday;
11. Norway fuel giant ‘refuses to fill US submarines’ after Trump-Zelensky clash;
12. Norway confirms continued cooperation with the US Navy;
13. Psychological aspects of Zelensky’s meeting with Trump and Vance, conducted using ChatGPT;
14. Trump Thinks He Humiliated Zelensky. He Really Humiliated the United States;

Now in our 12th year on KPFT!

Going forward, new shows will broadcast on Sundays at 1PM (CT) broadcast and re-run on Wednesdays at 11AM.

FYI: WordPress is forcing me to work with a new type of editor, so things will look … different … for a while. I’m hoping I’ll improve with a learning curve. Please bear with me — Mike

AUDIO:

Radio with Mike Honig where we discuss local, state, national, and international stories. 

Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio) is now on Wednesdays at 11AM (CT) or Thursdays at 6PM on KPFT 90.1 FM-HD2, Houston’s Community Media. You can also hear the show:

1. Live online at KPFT.org (from anywhere in the world!)
2. Podcast on your phone’s Podcast App
3. Visiting Archive.KPFT.ORG

Except for timely election info, the extensive list of voting resources will now be at the end.

Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig on KPFT Houston at 90.1-HD2, Galveston 89.5-HD2, and Huntsville at 91.9-HD2. KPFT is Houston’s Community Media. On this show, we discuss local, state, national, and international stories that may have slipped under your radar.

1. I want to start the show with an uplifting quote from Robert Reich — “Remember: If we allow ourselves to fall into fatalism, or wallow in disappointment, or become resigned to what is rather than what should be, we will lose the long game. The greatest enemy of positive social change is cynicism about what can be changed.”
2. The next election is scheduled for May 3, 2025, with early voting beginning on April 22, 2025. Which, incredibly, is only about 8 weeks from now. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is April 22, which is only about 7 weeks.
   1. Voter registration applications or registration updates must be filled out and mailed at least 30 days before the election date, which in this case would be April 3^rd, which is only about 6 weeks from now. You have been warned.
3. MIKE: There’s a new scam going around. It’s being texted instead of being emailed, and it claims that you have failed to pay a highway toll charge. It goes something like this:
   1. The Toll Roads Notice of Toll Evasion: You have an unpaid toll bill on your account. To avoid late fees, pay within 12 hours or the late fees will be increased and reported to the DMV.
   2. They then give you a URL to click on which I’m not including. It continues, saying:
   3. (Please reply Y, then exit the text message and open it again to activate the link, or copy the link to your Safari browser and open it)
   4. The Toll Roads team wishes you a great day!
   5. This is a scam. If you have any doubt that you may owe a toll charge, go to the known website (such as HCTRA[dot]ORG for the Harris County Toll Road Authority, or TXTag[dot]ORG for Texas Tag).
   6. One hint that you are on a scam site is that toll road authorities that send you a bill or notification will almost invariably include a photo of the vehicle that missed paying the toll.
   7. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you enter a user name, password, or credit card number into any site that you are not absolutely sure is real. When in doubt, find the official site contact info, and visit or call.
   8. Remember that old Hill Street Blues catch phrase: “Be careful out there!”
4. MIKE: I have a mission for listeners, and I really hope I’ll get some helpful responses.
   1. First, some context.
   2. Have you ever wondered why Brits say, “Happy Christmas” instead of “Merry Christmas”? The story I’ve heard is that Brits used to say “Merry Christmas” just like Americans, but there was some problematic English slang around the word “merry”, like “making merry”. In other words, getting a bit buzzed.
   3. So the word “happy” replaced the word “merry” in the Christmas greeting.
   4. Now, in the United States of America, for over 200 years, the name “Benedict Arnold” has been synonymous with “Traitor”, and after all that time, I think we should give poor Benedict a rest. There’s a new alleged perp in town.
   5. Our newest and most relevant alleged traitor to the United States appears to be Donald J. Trump, aka, “Putin’s Puppet”. If you’re in doubt, I’ll pose the question that Rachel Maddow has posed: When you look at all the things that Trump is doing domestically and internationally, who actually benefits? Installing unqualified political apparatchiks with loyalty to Trump instead of the law and the Constitution; Endangering national health and welfare with unqualified appointees who are anti-vaxxers; Firing qualified military leaders to install unqualified politically pliable generals; Hobbling our intelligence agencies with staff cuts and ending critical national security missions; Cutting or eliminating staffing in critical US departments; Voting with Russia in the UN Security Council; and Publicly dressing down Ukraine’s Volodymir Zelensky and blaming Ukraine for the war with Russia …
   6. These actions and policies are bad for our nation at home, and both self-defeating and humiliating on the international stage.
   7. The problem with making the name “Trump” equally synonymous with “traitor” is that the word “trump” is also used in many innocent contexts. It’s used in card games like Bridge, Hearts, and Spades. It’s used as a figure of speech that is more or less derived from its meaning in card games.
   8. So, I think that what we need is a word that we can substitute for “trump” in games and language so that the only synonym left for the word and name of “Trump” is the synonym that means “traitor”.
   9. I have tried to find good substitutes in the Thesaurus and online, but MS Word’s thesaurus offers options like “eclipse’, “outdo”, or “scoop”. None of those quite ring the bell for me.
   10. I’m open to your ideas. You can go to this show’s Facebook page at Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig, or you can email me at ThinkwingRadio@msn.com.
5. Montgomery County considers creation of government efficiency task force; By Jessica Shorten | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 2:16 PM Feb 26, 2025 CST/Updated 5:51 PM Feb 26, 2025 CST. TAGS: Montgomery County commissioners, Montgomery County, Government Efficiency Task Force,
   1. An effort to create a government efficiency task force failed on Feb. 25 in a 3-2 vote by Montgomery County commissioners following concerns regarding the effectiveness and reach of such a department. Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Walker, Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley and Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler voted against creating the task force.
   2. … Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray brought the idea of the task force to commissioners.
   3. [Gray said,] “I will be the first to say and commend this county on how conservative [and] how streamlined we are, but we need to look and see where we can find some more savings.”
   4. Commissioners voiced concerns that the task force could be viewed as “micro management”, and questioned how they could ensure the appointed members would have the necessary skills to conduct an internal audit of all county departments.
   5. Under Gray’s proposal, his Chief of Staff Joshua Pascua would have led the proposed task force, and each commissioner’s office as well as the county judge could have had a representative on the task force. The first priority of the task force would have been to look at the county purchasing department to see if there is room for financial savings, officials said.
   6. … [Gray said,] “We need to start drilling down on this and finding some of those savings and bringing them back to the court and applying it to law enforcement, to infrastructure, and to roads.”
   7. [County Judge Mark Keough said,] “My suggestion in that whole deal is, if we’re going to utilize this task force, that we would move forward on doing all departments of the county. Look at everyone, including the elected officials for the preparation for the August budget cycle, which would include all of our departments.”
   8. [Commissioner Riley said,] “I don’t see how you can compare Montgomery County to Washington, D.C. We’ve got procedures in place with the purchasing department, with a budget officer, with the auditor, with people all over this county checking and double checking what we’re spending and how we’re spending it.”
   9. [Precinct 3 Commissioner Wheeler said,] “I’m concerned about the committee chair position, and so I’m going to vote no on this, but only because I want to bring it back with more clarity and more definition as to how this committee is set up, and exactly what the structure is and what their mission is.”
   10. MIKE: There’s a saying of mine that I haven’t used on this show for a few years, and I think now is a good time to bring it back up: “If you keep trying to do more with less, at some point you’ll be expecting people to do everything with nothing.”
   11. MIKE: Montgomery County isn’t exactly a liberal stronghold, so I’m not surprised that the Conservative penchant to “trim government waste” is an idea that would now be top-of-mind on their commissioner’s court.
   12. MIKE: Auditing revenues and expenditures is always a good idea for finding errors or malfeasance. I think that Commissioner Gray’s suggestion for an “efficiency task force” was predictable in our current Trumpian political climate. But I’m really glad to see that 3 of Montgomery County’s 5 commissioners voted against this idea, and I’m especially glad that it sounds like those three commissioners’ “no” votes were influenced by the damage that a so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” is doing in Washington.
   13. MIKE: Maybe, just maybe, actual moderate conservatives are starting to get a bellyful of the baloney that’s going on in our nation’s capital.
6. West University officials install new pedestrian mobility enhancements; By Melissa Enaje | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 3:19 PM Feb 21, 2025 CST/Updated 3:19 PM Feb 21, 2025 CST. TAGS: West University Place, Pedestrian Signage, Pedestrian Visibility And Safety,
   1. New pedestrian signage was installed across West University Place’s frequently used intersections aimed at enhancing pedestrian visibility and safety.
   2. … Throughout February, West U Public Works crews and contractors installed signage at the following locations: Weslayan Street and University Boulevard; Buffalo Speedway and University Boulevard; Rice Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard; [and] Rice Boulevard and Buffalo Speedway.
   3. … West U officials first discussed pedestrian mobility and safety concerns during a November City Council meeting.
   4. Residents expressed safety concerns about driver behavior that included not stopping at crosswalks and vehicles running red lights at the University Boulevard intersections with Buffalo Speedway and Weslayan Street. Residents also requested … other pedestrian-friendly enhancements for those crossing to the city’s recreation center on Bellaire Boulevard or [to] Colonial Park pool on Byron Street, according to agenda documents.
   5. At the 4 meeting, West U City Council requested staff to evaluate enhancements for pedestrian crossings and intersections along the frequently used corridors that included: Additional signage, lights and pavement markings; Adjustments to signal timings; [and] Crossing guards.
   6. Mayor Pro Tem John Montgomery said at the November City Council meeting how they have to think about ways to create safer mobility quarters in the places where there’s a high level of kids crossing.
   7. [There’s] a total population of more than 5,000 households living in West U; according to the 2023 U.S. Census’ American Community Survey, more than 25% of the population are pre-teens and children between the ages of 14 years old and younger.
   8. … City Manager Dave Beach said at the 27 City Council meeting that since November, other efforts for mobility enhancements have taken place, including traffic signal timing and paver repairs.
   9. West U officials are also working with a local traffic engineering firm to explore options and solutions for creating a safer environment for both pedestrians and drivers, according to a city announcement.
   10. [Beach said,] “When it comes to things with traffic, there is some engineering that has to happen before we can go change things arbitrarily, whether we believe it to be a good thing or not; we have to make sure it’s warranted and we’re not creating a hazard.”
   11. … A proposed $59 million in street and sidewalk projects are also being considered as part of West U’s fiscal year 2025-2034 Capital Improvement Plan.
   12. In the CIP presentation documents, from 2025 until 2031, potential project improvements include: Weslayan traffic signal replacement; Roadway improvements and sidewalk improvements; [and] Pedestrian enhancements along Buffalo Speedway and University Boulevard.
   13. The source of funding for the street and sidewalk projects include general obligation debt, as well as funding from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County and grants, according to CIP presentation documents.
   14. MIKE: This all sounds like good ideas for good governance. These improvements will not only benefit residents and businesses in West U. They’ll also benefit customers and visitors to the community.
7. Houston Mayor John Whitmire halts J City initiatives citing ‘conflict of interest’; By Kevin Vu | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 3:55 PM Feb 26, 2025 CST/Updated 3:55 PM Feb 26, 2025 CST. TAGS: Mayor John Whitmire, Houston City Council member Edward Pollard, Houston District J,
   1. Houston City Council member Edward Pollard said his initiative to provide more support for District J residents is being halted by Mayor John Whitmire over what Whitmire says is “a conflict of interest” and city rules.
   2. … In January, Pollard announced the rebranding of District J to J City, which he said would provide District J residents with additional services outside of Houston departments to get a faster, more personalized response to community concerns.
   3. However, these initiatives are being challenged and delayed by the mayor’s office. Whitmire said during a Feb. 26 news conference that the rebrand is a “conflict of interest” because the initiatives would outsource services through private contractors.
      Whitmire said he believes Pollard is politicizing city services and that the city already has an existing system in place to provide vendors.
   4. [Whitmire said,] “We’re not going to allow a councilman to pick their vendors. We have a procurement system here in the city that is transparent, open, and we get the best prices.”
   5. The J City initiatives involve addressing public safety, maintenance, heavy trash, illegal dumping, animal welfare and home repairs. Pollard said funding came from the district’s Council District Service Fund, [for] which each district gets $1 million … every year.
   6. … Pollard said he is not politicizing city services. Rather, he just wants to deliver services to his community. He said some of these programs are not new and his district just wants to provide additional funding to these programs.
   7. [Pollard told Community Impact,] “We are trying to provide ways to get issues addressed much faster, and there’s no intent to politicize anything. All we’re trying to do is get the programs to continue.”
   8. Pollard said the initiatives have been going through the correct procurement process, which he said can be done in a few different ways: The district can provide funds to a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone or a management district, and their boards will hire a vendor for services; A bidding process for work under $50,000 will be made public for vendors to select; A current city vendor can provide a proposal to continue the work that they are providing.
   9. [Pollard said.] “I do not have a preference on who the city vendor is. I would like to keep the same vendors that have been doing the programs because they’ve done an excellent job, they understand the district, and they understand how to address those issues in a prompt fashion.”
   10. Pollard said Whitmire’s office has instructed Houston police to ignore reports that come in through District J’s online reporting portal, and officers will no longer receive overtime dollars for the District J Patrol.
   11. [Whitmire’s spokesperson Mary Benton said in an email,] “HPD is also using the existing framework to respond to residents’ concerns in Pollard’s district and throughout the city without creating an additional strain on the city’s budget or new processes.”
   12. Pollard said he believes council members should have the ability to run programs that benefit their district, as long as the items are legally permissible.
   13. … Pollard said the proposal to allocate the funds for J City has already been approved by the city’s legal department and is waiting for the mayor’s approval.
   14. Benton said Whitmire’s administration is working with Pollard to ensure his requests can be fulfilled through the city’s existing use of contractors and procurement, rather than initiating new ones.
   15. MIKE: I suppose that politicians gonna politic, but I think that Mayor Whitmire has lost most of the benefit of the doubt that I might have been inclined to give him when he first took office.
   16. MIKE: I’m not a city council parliamentarian, so I can’t say whose right here, but it sounds to me as a Houston citizen like Council member Pollard is just trying to provide superior services to his district with discretionary funds that his district is entitled to. According to Pollard he’s using city-authorized vendors with a bidding process, and he is vendor-agnostic. Pollard also claims that the city’s legal department has already given him a green light for his services project.
   17. MIKE: Whitmire spokesperson Mary Benton said that Whitmire’s administration is working with Pollard to ensure his requests can be fulfilled through the city’s existing use of contractors and procurement, rather than initiating new ones, which sounds like what CM Pollard says he’s already doing.
   18. MIKE: I’m inclined to go out on a limb here and suspect that Mayor Whitmire is peeved at Pollard for doing his “J City” thing, implying that the City of Houston — and by extension, Mayor Whitmire — is not already providing District J with adequate services, therefore making the mayor look bad. Or at least, making the mayor look bad in the mayor’s own estimation.
   19. MIKE: I think we’ve previously seen signs that Whitmore can be petty and thin-skinned, and this may be what’s happening here.
   20. REFERENCE: Houston’s District J rebrands as ‘J City’ to provide residents with additional services; By Kevin Vu | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 3:39 PM Jan 9, 2025 CST
8. Houston Mayor John Whitmire to propose banning city’s residents from sleeping on the streets; By Abby Church, City Hall Reporter | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM | Feb 26, 2025. TAGS: Mayor John Whitmire, Houston, Homelessness,
   1. In the coming weeks, Mayor John Whitmire’s administration plans to bring a proposal preventing people from sleeping on Houston’s streets to the city council.
   2. The announcement comes on the heels of Whitmire’s $70 million plan to address street homelessness, which was announced this past November with a goal of not only raising cash to fight the issue, but introducing possible changes to state law.
   3. [Whitmire told reporters after Wednesday’s council meeting,] “What we probably are going to do very soon (is) approach council about changing the ordinance that allows people to sleep on the streets. We really want the ability to tell people, ‘It’s not lawful for you to sleep in these conditions …  [MetroLift] … will deliver you to wherever you need to go.’”
   4. Chris Newport, Whitmire’s chief of staff, said the mayor’s team was actively working on the proposal and that there wasn’t a set timeline for when it would be heard by the council. The change, he said, would specifically target sleeping.
   5. Whitmire has floated the idea of banning outdoor sleeping since his plan was announced, including introducing a “civility zone for the city of Houston.” Civility ordinances on the city’s books that cover a plethora of Houston’s neighborhoods prevent anyone from sitting, laying down or placing their belongings on sidewalks between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
   6. The U.S. Supreme Court last summer held that homeless people can be fined and arrested for sleeping outdoors regardless if there isn’t a shelter nearby where they can seek refuge instead. Advocates, at the time, worried how the ruling would impact municipalities, and pushed for more investment in housing.
   7. Some proposals targeting members of the homeless population standing in public space have met legal challenges in Texas. After the Dallas City Council passed an ordinance banning people from standing on medians to prevent panhandling, city officials were hit with a lawsuit claiming it was a First Amendment violation.
   8. A federal judge has since sided with Dallas and allowed them to implement the ban and move forward with citations.
   9. … [Houston City] Council also voted unanimously Wednesday to officially open a fund in the city’s bank account to collect cash for the homeless plan. 
   10. As a part of the pitch, Whitmire asked for funds from the county, tax districts, management districts, and other government sources, in addition to the $25 million the city plans to put toward the effort. 
   11. Officials with the city’s housing department said there have so far been $3.5 million put aside for the plan from the city’s general fund, and another $700,000 put aside from the city’s Homeless Housing and Services Program. The Downtown District has promised to put $1 million toward the plan, and the city has identified another $14 million in federal funds and $2.6 million from Houston First, the city’s convention arm.
   12. The city is still seeking another $8 million to $16 million from the county, $5 million to $8 million from the city’s tax districts and management zones, $10 million from Metro and $20 million from philanthropic sources to help pay for the plan, according to a presentation given to the city’s Quality of Life meeting earlier this month.
   13. Housing department officials are also in discussions about using $40 million from a recent tranche of disaster relief dollars, or around $6.6 million a year, to supplement the plan over the next six years, according to a spokesperson.
   14. Mary Benton, Whitmire’s spokesperson, said the city will deposit $2.6 million from Houston First and $10 million from Metro into the account. Whitmire said the Metro cash is anticipated to be approved for the transfer sometime this week.
   15. The plan comes as Houston contends with multiple financial challenges ahead of this year’s budget discussions. Not only does Houston have to find money to pay for the homeless plan, but a way to pay for a $100 million hit to the city’s general fund following a lost appeal in a lawsuit requiring the city to put millions more toward streets and drainage projects each year.
   16. Officials have said around half of that $100 million hit would be supplemented by cash from Metro. They’re still working on a plan and are in discussions with the case’s plaintiffs on how to cover the rest of the $50 million.
   17. MIKE: I discussed Mayor Whitmires’s ideas for legislating a “civility zone” when they were first reported back in November, and my sense of them could be summarized as “inhumane”.
   18. MIKE: People shouldn’t have to live on the streets, unsheltered, and without reasonable means of hygiene and sanitation. But if you’re going to outlaw sleeping or even sitting on the street, a non-negotiable precursor to that should be having a place for people to go, or a place for people to be brought.
   19. MIKE: But this is an obvious chicken and egg problem where the egg must come first. In this case, the “egg” is someplace for people to be taken for shelter that is off the streets and safe.
   20. MIKE: There is no point in bringing this “civility” ordinance to city council before there are alternative destinations. And this doesn’t even consider additional support services that will offer unhoused people the means to get back on their feet, as well as mental health services for them when necessary.
   21. MIKE: This discussion no doubt will be continued.
9. Abbott orders TEA probe of Houston school for calling a student by chosen name and pronouns; The governor also called on lawmakers to prohibit the practice at all schools. By Alejandro Serrano | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Feb. 17, 2025@1 PM Central. TAGS: Politics, Public Education, State Government, Greg Abbott, Houston, Texas Legislature,
   1. Greg Abbott said he demanded that the state’s education agency investigate a Houston high school whose teachers were accused by a local conservative activist of “transitioning” a student they were calling by the student’s chosen name and pronouns.
   2. In a social media post Saturday, Abbott also called for lawmakers to prohibit the practice at all schools.
   3. [Abbott said,] “No parent should have to endure this. No school should be involved in ‘transitioning’ a child. If this is not already illegal, it will be after this session. I have instructed TEA to investigate this matter.”
   4. Denise Bell, who leads the Moms for Liberty chapter in Harris County, spoke at a school board meeting on behalf of a parent she did not name. The group advocates against school curricula and teachings that include LGBTQ rights.
   5. The mother’s child is a junior at Houston ISD’s Bellaire High School, according to the testimony Bell read. On the first day of freshman year, the student took home an information sheet that asked for students’ pronouns.
   6. [The woman said in the statement read by Bell,] “Multiple teachers started calling her by a different name and pronouns. One teacher even went as far as to cross out my daughter’s legal name that she had written on her paper and write her chosen name in red ink. This occurred without our knowledge and certainly without our consent.”
   7. She added: “This goes against our Christian faith, the advice of her therapist, and quite frankly common sense. We met with her teachers, counselors, and the principal to no avail. HISD is purposely and secretively transitioning” minors.
   8. Spokespeople for Houston ISD, which is under state control, did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment. Neither did the Texas Education Agency, whose spokespeople told the Houston Chronicle it was “reviewing the matter.”
   9. Moms for Liberty shared on social media a minute-long clip of Bell’s comments, which Abbott reposted — and said it served as “another reason why parents deserve school choice.”
   10. Abbott has said he’s confident the Legislature will pass a school vouchers package — often referred to as school choice — during the current legislative session after multiple failed attempts during the last regular session and four subsequent special sessions in 2023.
   11. MIKE: This is Greg Abbott’s idea of a state-level issue of concern: What names do children wish to be called? When I was in high school, a boy wanted to be called by his middle name and not his first name. Would this be a subject of proposed legislation in today’s Texas?
   12. MIKE: If a school bully insisted on calling a child by some derogatory name, would this be a subject of proposed legislation? Or even school discipline? Perhaps it should be, but likely not.
   13. MIKE: Let’s be clear. Gays Rights are human rights. Trans Rights are human rights. When the law attempts to single out certain individuals or classes of individuals for control and punishment for behavior that is not otherwise a harm to society at-large, that is government oppression.
   14. MIKE: In Texas, the government won’t exercise reasonable control over firearms, but names and gender identification is where they see potential harms to society at large?
   15. MIKE: Individuals, movements, political parties and governments that act in that way are in no way in favor of “liberty” or “freedom”.
   16. MIKE: As a personal observation, I believe that we should look at groups with suspicion when they include words like “Liberty”, “Freedom”, and “Patriotic” in their names. It’s like countries that call themselves “People’s Democratic Republics”. It usually means exactly the reverse.
   17. MIKE: This is the case with the group, “Moms for Liberty”. Whose liberty are they for, exactly? It’s obviously not for the individual liberty of children. It’s not even really for the “liberty” of moms. It’s more like an instrument of oppression of children by
   18. MIKE: Our current Texas government is a government of oppression. It oppresses those who do not fit into their notions of “good” or “normal”. If you genuinely believe in freedom and liberty, you need to vote them out of office.
10. Yes, GOP congresswoman introduced a bill to make Trump’s birthday a federal holiday; By Laerke Christensen | SNOPES.COM | Published Feb. 17, 2025. TAGS: Holidays, Congress, Donald Trump, House Of Representatives, US Rep. Claudia Tenney,
    1. On Feb. 14, 2025, New York Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney’s bill would make June 14 a joint federal holiday, marking Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s birthday. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. It must pass a vote in this committee to move on to the next stage of the legislative process.
    2. The bill, R. 1395, also titled “To amend title 5, United States Code, to designate Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day as a legal public holiday,” will not become law [unless and] until it has been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate and then signed by the president.
    3. In a news release on her website, Tenney said the holiday would recognize Trump “as the founder of America’s Golden Age” and guarantee his “contributions to American greatness … are forever enshrined in law”.
    4. MIKE: But this isn’t a cult. [Eye roll emoji.] I won’t inflict the press release language on you, but I’ve linked to it in this show’s blog post.
11. There have been worldwide reactions to Zelensky’s visit to the White House, none of them positive for Trump or the United States. The following story is compiled from two sources I rarely if ever use: The Express (UK) and TASS (Russia). It’s popping up in low-level sources from India, the UK, and also Russia. I’m also seeing comments that are both supportive of the story and dubious of its authenticity. I’m debating whether this is real or not. I suspect it is, but don’t take this as gospel until it appears in major media. I include it here for your interest — Norway fuel giant ‘refuses to fill US submarines’ after Trump-Zelensky clash; By Alex Evans, Deputy Audience Editor | EXPRESS.CO.UK | 18:40, Sat, Mar 1, 2025/UPDATED: 01:29, Sun, Mar 2, 2025. TAGS: Norway, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky,
    1. A petrol giant in Norway has announced a ban on fuel sales to all US forces following Donald Trump‘s treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, it has been reported.
    2. Norwegian firm Haltbakk Bunkers announced it will stop providing fuel to all American forces in Norway as it declared “No fuel to Americans!”. The firm posted on social media to declare its support for Zelensky as it dealt a hammer blow to US President Trump following the heated spat televised from the Oval Office.
    3. It said: “We have today been witnesses to the biggest [poop]-show ever presented “live on tv” by the current American president and his vice president. Huge credit to the president of Ukraine restraining himself and for keeping calm even though USA put on a backstabbing tv show. It made us sick. Short and sweet. As a result, we have decided to immediate STOP as fuel provider to American forces in Norway and their ships calling Norwegian ports. No Fuel to Americans! We encourage all Norwegians and Europeans to follow our example. SLAVA UKRAINA”
    4. [MIKE: In the story, they didn’t use the word “poop”. Continuing …]
    5. Owner of the firm Gunnar Gran has told Norwegian maritime news site Kystens Næringsliv that ‘not a litre of fuel’ will be delivered ‘until Trump is finished’. …
    6. [Said Gran,] “We run a private limited company and choose our customers!”
    7. The owner also said that the group has excluded Russians since Putin’s invasion, adding: “It gave a lot of our competitors a lot of extra revenue. We lost a lot of revenue. But we have a moral compass. Now the United States is excluded based on their behavior towards the Ukrainians.”
    8. The fuel ban takes effect immediately and applies to vessels calling at Norwegian ports, it says. Haltbakk Bunkers also sends a further appeal.
    9. It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the “American people” and leadership and held out hope for “strong relations”, the day after an astonishing clash with Donald Trump left many uncertain where the once staunch allies stood.
    10. Ukraine had walked into a meeting at the White House on Friday prepared to sign a mineral deal with the US, hoping it would be a step towards a just ceasefire, but left empty-handed.
    11. In a series of posts on X on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said his people are “very grateful to the United States for all the support”, and specifically thanked Mr. Trump and Congress alongside the “American people”.
    12. [Zelensky wrote,] “Our relationship with the American President is more than just two leaders: It’s a historic and solid bond between our peoples. … American people helped save our people. We want only strong relations with America and I really hope we will have them.”
    13. The shouting match that unfolded in the final minutes of the meeting between the two leaders at the Oval Office on Friday seemed to dash, at least for now, Ukrainian hopes that the US could be confirmed as a reliable partner in helping to fend off, and conclude, Russia’s three-year onslaught.
    14. The exchange saw the frustrated Ukrainian president lectured by Mr Trump and vice president JD Vance over what they saw as his lack of gratitude for previous US support.
    15. “You’re gambling with millions of people … You’re gambling with World War Three,” Mr Trump told Mr Zelensky of his attempts to resist the Russian invasion.
    16. It delighted officials in Moscow who saw it as a final breakdown in relations between Washington and the Ukrainian leader.
12. From TASS and other sources, there was this additional reporting: Norway confirms continued cooperation with the US Navy.
    1. Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik confirmed the continuation of cooperation with the US Navy in the kingdom amid reports of the refusal of the Norwegian oil company Haltbakk Bunkers to supply fuel to the US military. …
    2. [The minister said in a statement posted on the Norwegian government’s website,] “We have seen reports expressing concern about the support of US Navy ships in Norway. This is not in line with the Norwegian Government’s policy. I can confirm that all the requested support has been provided… The US military will continue to receive the supplies and support they need from Norway.”
    3. MIKE: I first saw reference to this story on THREADS, but wanted sources, and that’s proven to be something of a challenge.
    4. MIKE: Sourcing on this story has been very strange. It seems like a major story that would be in all the major media, and yet it is mostly on niche sites.
    5. MIKE: As one commenter observed on FACEBOOK: Karin Williams — Fascinating… there is something flying around social media that Norwegian [company] Haltbakk Bunkers has refused to refuel US ships because of the incident in the White House yesterday where FOTUS [aka, Felon of the United States] and Vance ganged up on Zelenskyy. Watching in real time while what appear to be phony news sites amplifying the messaging. But looking at their website and social media this is not coming from them. So, I’m wondering, why and for what purpose has this popped up.
    6. MIKE: A commenter to that comments pointed to an article from a Norwegian site which I read with Google Translate. I’ve linked to the translation in my blog post.
    7. MIKE: Whether this particular story turns out to be true or not, it seems to reflect European opinion generally on the poop-show we saw at the White House between Trump and Zelensky.
    8. REFERENCE: Norwegian fuel supplier refuses U.S. warships over Ukraine; By George Allison | UKDEFENCEJOURNAL.ORG.UK | March 1, 2025
    9. REFERENCE: Norwegian firm refuses fuel to US warships over Trump’s snub to Zelenskyy; By Rishabh Sharma, New Delhi | BUSINESS-STANDARD.COM | Last Updated : Mar 02 2025/1:45 PM IST.
13. I ran across this post on FACEBOOK, which I thought was interesting — From Yuliia Vyshnevska (a young Ukrainian lawyer studying in the UK): An intriguing analysis has been circulating online regarding the psychological aspects of Zelensky’s meeting with Trump and Vance, conducted using ChatGPT.
    1. From this analysis, it becomes evident that we have witnessed a true masterclass in gaslighting, manipulation, and coercion on the part of Trump and his entourage. Let’s break down the key points:
    2. Blaming the victim for their own situation — Trump explicitly tells Zelensky: “You have allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.” This is classic abuser rhetoric—blaming the victim for their suffering. The implication is that Ukraine itself is responsible for being occupied by Russia and for the deaths of its people.
    3. Pressure and coercion into ‘gratitude’ —Vance demands that Zelensky say “thank you.” This is an extremely toxic tactic—forcing the victim to express gratitude for the help they desperately need, only to later accuse them of ingratitude if they attempt to assert their rights.
    4. Manipulating the concept of ‘peace’ — Trump claims that Zelensky is “not ready for peace.” However, what he actually means is Ukraine’s capitulation. This is a classic manipulation technique—substituting the idea of a just peace with the notion of surrender.
    5. Refusing to acknowledge the reality of war — Trump repeatedly insists that Zelensky has “no cards to play” and that “without us, you have nothing.” This is yet another abusive tactic—undermining the victim’s efforts by asserting that they are powerless without the mercy of their ‘saviour.’
    6. Devaluing the victims of war — “If you get a ceasefire, you must accept it so that bullets stop flying and your people stop dying,” Trump says. Yet, he ignores the fact that a ceasefire without guarantees is merely an opportunity for Russia to regroup and strike again.
    7. Dominance tactics — Trump constantly interrupts Zelensky, cutting him off: “No, no, you’ve already said enough,” and “You’re not in a position to dictate to us.” This is deliberate psychological pressure designed to establish a hierarchy in which Zelensky is the subordinate.
    8. Forcing capitulation under the guise of ‘diplomacy’ — Vance asserts that “the path to peace lies through diplomacy.” This is a classic strategy where the aggressor is given the opportunity to continue their aggression unchallenged.
    9. Projection and distortion of reality — Trump declares: “You are playing with the lives of millions of people.” Yet, in reality, it is he who is doing exactly that—shifting responsibility onto Zelensky.
    10. Creating the illusion that Ukraine ‘owes’ the US — Yes, the US is assisting Ukraine, but presenting this aid as “you must obey, or you will receive nothing” is not a partnership—it is financial and military coercion.
    11. Undermining Ukraine’s resistance — Trump states that “if it weren’t for our weapons, this war would have ended in two weeks.” This is an attempt to erase Ukraine’s achievements and portray its efforts as entirely dependent on US support.
    12. Conclusion — Trump and his team employed the full spectrum of abusive tactics: gaslighting, victim-blaming, coercion into gratitude, and manipulation of the concepts of peace and diplomacy. This was not a negotiation—it was an attempt to force Zelensky into accepting terms beneficial to the US but potentially fatal for Ukraine.
    13. MIKE: So, this was an example of an abusive relationship, but between nations. We should be so proud.
14. In a commentary piece from The Daily Beast By David Rothkopf — Trump Thinks He Humiliated Zelensky. He Really Humiliated the United States; By David Rothkopf | THEDAILYBEAST.COM | Updated Mar. 1 2025 2:57AM EST/Published Feb. 28 2025 5:48PM EST. TAGS: Trump-Putin Axis, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, JD Vance,
    1. The Trump-Putin Axis came fully out of the closet today.
    2. The new U.S. administration has clearly embraced what might be called a “mob boss” foreign policy—because of the criminal pasts of the men who are leading it and because of the tactics they appear to favor.
    3. In an Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump and his dangerously ill-informed yes-man, JD Vance, the U.S. president pressed for a deal to squeeze mineral assets out of Ukraine in exchange for some ill-defined level of continued support for that country that could only be described as extortionate.
    4. Then, when Zelensky failed to fall to his knees and kiss the hem of Trump’s garments in thanks, both Trump and Vance began to try to bully Zelensky in the most thuggish and repulsive way imaginable.
    5. It was an ugly display of foreign policy crudeness, the likes of which we have never seen in the White House. It is tempting to call it inept. But it was not. It achieved precisely the goal that Putin and Trump had long sought: to produce a public break between the United States and Ukraine that would directly and meaningfully support Russia’s illegal, brutal conquest of its neighbor.
    6. Trump and Vance, however, were rebuffed by Zelensky in important ways. When the Americans sought to perpetuate lies that have been a staple of Kremlin propaganda and Trump campaign speeches, Zelensky stood up to them. He refuted the idea that Ukraine provoked Russia’s invasion.
    7. He rejected the ahistorical nonsense that Putin only invaded Ukraine because he sensed former President Joe Biden’s He reminded those viewing the encounter on U.S. national television that in fact Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 (a point on which Trump embarrassingly tried to correct him) and that the war raged for all four years Trump was in office the last time. He pointed out that he sought a diplomatic solution only to have Putin violate the terms of deals that had been struck.
    8. With each correction Trump and Vance grew more furious and out of control. Trump vainly tried to intimidate a man who has stood up to far worse since he assumed Ukraine’s presidency. Vance criticized Zelensky for not thanking Trump publicly for…well, for what?
    9. Trump has made it clear that he would stop U.S. support for Ukraine and that he was sympathetic to Putin, a man who has sought both to deny Ukraine’s right to exist and to wipe the country from the map.
    10. Unsurprisingly, Zelensky was not cowed by the two-bit goons who confronted him. At the same time, while the meeting went off the rails and Trump undoubtedly felt he had done well for his audience in Red Square, Zelensky made it clear how much the world had changed since Trump has taken office.
    11. The incident sent a message to European allies that they would have to assume a new role in their common defense now that the U.S. administration had so clearly switched its allegiance from the Atlantic Alliance it had built and led for the past 80 years to a monstrous dictator who has sought to destroy that alliance, and the United States itself.
    12. That’s right, Trump and Vance are leading the first openly and aggressively anti-U.S., anti-Western, anti-democracy foreign policy in American history. (Russians loved what they saw, with Putin ally and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev writing on social media, “The insolent pig finally got a proper slap down in the Oval Office. And @realDonaldTrump is right: The Kiev regime is ‘gambling with WWIII.’”)
    13. While some of the most extreme MAGA Republicans on Capitol Hill issued statements in support of the Trump-Vance performance, there was deep consternation, anger and despair not only from Democrats but also from GOP Russia hawks. Liz Cheney, for example, rightly stated “History will remember this day.”
    14. It is surely one of the darkest days in the history of American foreign policy.
    15. Further, while some on the right may be quietly cheering this new era of mafia-inspired testosterone-poisoned non-diplomacy, it would be a mistake to think of the Don in the White House as the Don Corleone of U.S. foreign policy. Considering where he gets his ideas and talking points and whose interests he serves, Trump is more the Luca Brasi of Putin foreign policy. Moronic muscle. An ignoramus with nukes.
    16. But for all the embarrassment we feel at our president, we should not lose sight of the hugely embarrassing and damaging performance of JD Vance. Vance, like Trump, had virtually every fact wrong. Furthermore, he was completely out of line addressing a foreign head of state as he did, especially one who is one of the genuinely great heroes of our era and who has been fighting courageously not just on behalf of his own people, but in defense of the ideals and interests of the U.S. and our long-time European allies.
    17. Trump thinks he humiliated Zelensky. He did not. He humiliated the United States of America. In addition, he put us all at greater risk of further conflict in Europe by encouraging Putin.
    18. Mob boss foreign policy will not work. It has not worked for Putin, whose violent forays have proved a disaster for the Russian military, the Russian economy, and for Russia’s international standing.
    19. And it will not work for Trump despite his many years emulating American mobsters like John Gotti and surrounding himself with mob lawyers in mob-infested industries like gambling and real estate.
    20. Trump is a paper tough guy. That was never more clear than on this infamous last Friday in February, when Trump revealed his decision to ally the United States with the most nefarious global criminal of our generation, Vladimir Putin, and to declare himself a lieutenant to the monstrous criminal enterprise on which Putin has focused throughout his two decades of dictatorship in Russia.
    21. MIKE: Friday’s meeting between Don Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky will go down as another of America’s “Days of Infamy”, except that it’s one that we inflicted on ourselves.
    22. MIKE: It will be seen in retrospect as the pivotal moment that the United States could no longer be relied upon as a dependable and sane ally.
    23. MIKE: It’s hard to imagine how our country can come back from this on the world stage. Our allies will never look at us the same way again. It doesn’t matter how many Joe Bidens or John Kennedys or Harry Trumans we elect from here on out. There will always be the fear among our friends in the world that our values and our promises are only good for 4 years at a time, until the next lunatic could be elected president.
    24. MIKE: And the Republican Party has been so spinelessly complicit in this betrayal of our values and commitments that they will forever be seen as the Trumpist Party that stood by while Don Trump destroyed our world standing as a reliable ally.
    25. MIKE: Rothkopf’s allusion to the movie “The Godfather” was apt, if “The Godfather” had been remade as a dark comedy where Don Corleone, renamed Don Trump, is made to look like an evil-but-bumbling moron.
    26. MIKE: I also want to revisit Trump’s comment that Kiev is “gambling with WWIII.” In fact, it’s Putin who has been repeatedly flirting with WW3. First by invading Ukraine in 2014. Then by invading Ukraine again in 2022. Then by repeatedly threatening to use nuclear weapons when their invasions were challenged.
    27. MIKE: There’s been a rumor going around, mostly debunked by SNOPES, that Trump was recruited by the Soviet KGB back in 1987. Maybe he was and maybe he wasn’t. But if Trump had been turned by Russia, what would he be doing differently?
    28. MIKE: I’ve linked to all this in my blog post for this show.
        1. REFERENCE: What to know about the rumor Trump was recruited by KGB in 1987 — SNOPES.COM
15. Meanwhile, in related news — Keir Starmer learnt his lines, if only the world would stick to theirs; By Tim Shipman, , Chief Political Commentator | THETIMES.COM/UK (The Sunday Times) | Saturday March 01 2025, 10.00pm GMT. TAGS: Sir Keir Starmer, President Zelensky, Ukraine, Donald Trump,
    1. For less than one day, Sir Keir Starmer felt triumphant. Shortly after he left the White House on Thursday following a meeting with President Trump that had gone better than any of his team dared hope, the prime minister was cock-a-hoop about one thing the American leader had said.
    2. Downing a glass of water to quell a frog in his throat, Starmer took a quiet moment to reflect. “This was such an important day,” he said. “The president said he unequivocally supports Article 5. That was the thing that really mattered.”
    3. Article 5 is the clause in the Nato treaty that decrees an attack on one member is an attack on all of them. Trump had just confirmed the cornerstone of the western alliance. “Without absolute categorical support for Article 5, none of the rest of it means anything,” a senior aide said.
    4. Starmer landed back home on Friday morning. Within hours, triumph had turned to trepidation as Starmer’s team digested with horror the footage of Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance, publicly dressing down President Zelensky of Ukraine and demanding his public abasement for the TV cameras.
    5. Zelensky, goaded, fought back and (according to one lip reader) muttered “suka blyat” at Vance under his breath, a Russian insult that translates as “bitch f***”. Watching, one British official said: “You go from triumph to absolute despair.”
    6. This tale of two meetings revealed that the transatlantic alliance is at a critical crossroads. It was evidence that Starmer and team, who had wargamed every aspect of his meeting with Trump, had a far better understanding of how to handle the US president than Zelensky. …
    7. But the virulence of Trump’s attacks on Zelensky, egged on by Vance … raised questions about whether Starmer’s successful White House encounter was more a victory of style over substance.
    8. It did, however, leave him in the best position to attempt the role of peacemaker. While other European leaders rushed to publicly condemn the Americans on Friday evening, Starmer kept his counsel and spoke in person to both Trump and Zelensky, while aides and diplomats hit the phones in London and Washington.
    9. “What the Ukrainians need right now is not tweets and virtue signalling,” a No 10 source said. “What they need right now is guns and butter.”
    10. These were not comfortable calls. Those who listened in said Zelensky was still “in quite an emotional place” after his humiliation. Trump, as might be expected, remained “pretty defiant about what he’d said”. On the call, Starmer urged Zelensky to keep lines of communication open to Trump.
    11. [Starmer’s] national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, is understood to have suggested to Zelensky’s senior aide, Andriy Yermak, that they return to the White House, advice passed on by Lord Mandelson’s team at the British embassy in Washington — but Trump’s team thought tempers needed to cool first.
    12. Starmer will continue his role on Sunday when he chairs a meeting of European leaders and Zelensky in central London. [An aide said,] “That broker role is the role he wants to play, as someone who has built up relationships of trust with Donald Trump and the Ukrainians, given our support there. [Sunday’s] meeting is even more important now to chart a path forward.”
    13. Trump’s was a trust that was hard won by Starmer. His team began planning for the visit long before Christmas, a process that included meetings on everything from policy to the words he should use and the body language he should adopt with Trump. At one point, when they met for an informal appearance in front of the cameras, the prime minister brushed Trump’s arm, a touchy-feely gesture you would expect from President Macron of France, rather than the buttoned-up Starmer.
    14. Mark Burnett, the British-born producer of The Apprentice, who is an envoy for Trump, gave helpful advice when he visited No 10 in February on “how to navigate the White House”. He and Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, have been in regular contact since before Christmas. French diplomats also passed on advice after Macron met Trump on Monday. [A senior government official disclosed that,] “They let us know what arguments they were using and which were persuasive in the room.”
    15. Starmer theatrically whipped out a letter from the King inviting Trump for a second state visit. Starmer’s claim that this was “truly historic and unprecedented” was a carefully choreographed echo of Trump-speak. Trump’s staff are pushing for the state visit this summer, when the Palace had expected it to be in the summer of 2026. However, a senior figure said: “Everything is doable if you create a deadline by which things need to be delivered.” …
    16. On the substance, too, there was careful planning. Starmer decided on Wednesday the week before that he would announce Britain would begin spending 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product on defence by 2017 and get to 3 per cent in the next parliament. Some sought to get him to delay an announcement. But Starmer called McSweeney and said: “I’ve made up my mind. I want to announce it on Tuesday. I don’t want to be evasive with anyone.”
    17. Most Labour MPs support the decision to raise defence spending, but not to pay for it, as Starmer did, by cutting aid spending from 0.5 per cent of GDP to 0.3 per cent, [which was] less than half the party’s target of 0.7 per cent.
    18. [A close ally of Starmer said,] “To do it that quickly, it has to be ODA [overseas development aid]. You can’t take on extra borrowing at a time of economic instability.” Raiding the aid budget also kept the Treasury on side, where the chancellor Rachel Reeves is having to plan [serious] cuts on public spending to balance the books in the spending review.
    19. Starmer was also conscious that raising taxes, as Anneliese Dodds, the development secretary, demanded before she resigned last week, would undermine backing for Ukraine. “Public support for anything in Ukraine would dissipate if you gambled on a rise in interest rates now or put people’s taxes up,” the ally said.
    20. Downing Street hopes that backing more defence procurement will also create jobs and boost growth at home.
    21. Behind the headlines, the situation is still complicated. The strategic defence and security review, which was supposed to have concluded by now, continues. …
    22. Nor will the new money begin to flow immediately. One of Britain’s defence chiefs told a friend last week: “While the extra money is very welcome, it will take a while to come through. Defence spending will actually fall next year.”
    23. The other clear win for Starmer in Washington, getting Trump to verbally back Britain’s decision to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in return for a 100-year lease on the US air base on Diego Garcia, was agreed in advance. Agreement was thrashed out last week by Powell with his US counterpart, Mike Waltz.
    24. Also crucial was getting Vance on side. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, met the vice-president at the recent Munich security summit accompanied by Sir Richard Moore, the head of MI6, who explained the intelligence implications of not doing the deal to Vance. “There was follow-up work and Vance was convinced,” a source said. Trump was briefed by his team that he should support the plans on Wednesday, the night before his meeting with Starmer.
    25. On Ukraine, Trump resisted giving any security guarantees that the American military would provide a backstop for a European peacekeeping force. Starmer wants US air support, surveillance and intelligence backing, but rather than ask Trump to help Europe, he framed it as helping himself and his deal.
    26. Starmer also pushed hard to persuade Trump that, since there is no trade imbalance between the UK and the US, he does not need to impose extra tariffs on British goods. The UK hopes that beginning substantive talks will, in itself, make tariffs less likely.
    27. There are then two big areas of potential gains. The first is to lower some existing tariffs to increase trade flows between the two countries. The second is to encourage collaboration on technology and artificial intelligence, in effect to pool resources to “bring our sectors together to essentially help us win the race with the Chinese”.
    28. … Further details on trade will be worked on between Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, and the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, who is expected to travel to Washington in April. …
    29. The row also led to the first, private but nonetheless striking, whispers that Zelensky needs to change his approach or Ukraine might need someone else at the helm. While the government is supportive of the Ukrainian leader, some officials are despairing that he did not bite his tongue with Trump.
    30. [Said one, speaking very unofficially,] “I think he’s got a lot of work to do. I think that he needs to come to the conclusion over the course of this weekend that he needs to apologise to Trump and go and sign this deal.”
    31. [The official continued,] “The reality is the Americans are keeping his military alive and, by extension, his country alive. That’s why you go into the Oval Office and you’re smart. He wasn’t. He could have walked away with an incredible outcome where American support continues and American companies are bound into Ukraine. But I think he’s genuinely incapable of not having an argument or swallowing his pride. If he’s canny, he now needs to say, ‘I’m very happy to accept a ceasefire’, because it’s the Russians who don’t want a ceasefire and the pressure from Trump will move back on to Putin.”
    32. The explosion in the Oval Office does, however, give Starmer greater leverage over the Europeans at Sunday’s gathering. He and Powell spent four hours in the cabinet room on Saturday trying to drum up meaningful contributions from the Europeans. Starmer will today call on them to provide troops for a peacekeeping force.
    33. [A No 10 source said,] “Keir hates talking shops. He is sick of sitting around tables and watching leaders shaking their heads and reading out a statement of their values but when they are asked what they are going to send, or where are the boots on the ground, they just shake their heads and go quiet.”
    34. Starmer and Zelensky were supposed to meet for just 15 minutes in the margins of Sunday’s summit. But the PM ordered on Saturday that Downing Street “put out the full red carpet” to show support.
    35. Zelensky arrived at No 10 at 5pm on Saturday, exchanged comments with Starmer for the cameras and then went into private talks. He will meet the King on Sunday.
    36. Starmer’s team hope US support for Article 5 will be maintained and the relationship with Zelensky patched up. A Downing Street official said: “I think there is clearly a lot of work to do to put the pieces back together. Can we see a way to do that then? Yes, we can. Are we there yet? No, we’re not.”
    37. MIKE: This story gives us an unusual amount of backroom information on how carefully diplomacy has to be planned around Trump. It sounds to me like preparing for a meeting with Trump is like preparing to negotiate with a spoiled, temperamental child. It reminded me of an old joke, which I’ll paraphrase here: “It’s like an 800-pound gorilla doing a comedy routine in front of an audience too afraid not to laugh.”
    38. MIKE: The last 5 weeks since January 20^th have been worse than I ever could have imagined, and I had imagined nothing good. Unless a few Republicans find a spine or a reason to oppose Trump and stand up for the United States, we have at least 2 years before we can hope for any changes, and that is based on a chance that the Democrats retake control of the House and Senate in 2027.
    39. MIKE: Here’s to thoughts and prayers.
    40. MIKE: Also, as an aside, I learned a new acronym in researching all this: “FOTUS”. It stands for “Felon Of The United States”. Do we laugh or do we cry?

=====================================================

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