Author: Dave

Excellent Ukraine War Update from CNN

by Dave

Given the horrific news of the Texas flood, it is understandable that CNN and others don’t make Putin’s war in Ukraine headline news. This CNN news story, posted July 4, was accurate and well done.

CNN, Russia welcomes Trump’s cut to Ukraine’s military aid but it could be deadly for Kyiv

This article helps fill in more details and confirms other details in my post. Russia’s ballistic missile attacks have done massive damage in Ukraine. And the shortage of these missiles in Ukraine makes retaliation impossible. Russia fired as many as 80 ballistic missiles in June. The US cutoff of these missiles means more Ukrainians will die. Their homes and the cities where they live will be reduced to rubble. They will be forced to flee.

The June 2025 escalation of the war is confirmed in the CNN post. On June 4, Trump cut off supplying a small but critical component of Ukraine’s defenses, called a “proximity fuze.” This device triggers an anti-drone drone to explode when it is close to its target, making it much more effective. Prior to that, Trump stated on May 17, 2025, that Ukraine was just “pissing away” billions of dollars in aid in an interview with Fox News.

CNN confirmed that there’s is no quick solution to the US cut off of military equipment by Trump. Production of Patriot systems requires time. CNN also confirmed that halting deliveries of the Patriot missiles because they are desparately needed elsewhere, is according to experts, not true.

I feel sorry for the lives lost and homes destroyed in Texas. The US must help the victims of the flood recover and rebuild. Ukraine faces a Texas style disaster on a daily basis. Putin’s objective is not to control a small piece of Ukraine, but the entire country. They deserve our help.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Ukraine War News

by Dave

War doesn’t take a holiday. The famous “peace talks” started in Istanbul were a joke. Russia participated only because he wanted to keep Trump happy, with the idea that Ukraine did not deserve our support. In May, Putin increased significantly the attacks from around 100-150 attacks per day, to more than 400 drone and missile attacks. On July 4, the highest number of attacks occurred since the war began in February 2022 with 550 missile and drone attacks, hours after Putin and Trump talked.

The two best sources of information are the Guardian and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The Institute is a non-profit organization, does a much better job than anyone else in following the war. See links below:

Institute for the Study of War – Latest Assessment

Guardian, July 4, Ukraine war briefing: Power to Zaporizhzhia plant cut off as UN watchdog warns nuclear safety ‘extremely precarious’

ISW reports in the July 4 attack, 208 drones were “lost” or suppressed by Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) interference. Excellent news. Ukraine also uses interceptor drones to stop attacks. When there are swarms of over 500 drones coming at once, particularly the Shahad high velocity drones, intercepting them can be difficult. See link at end from Kyiv Independent. Patriot missiles would be the defense weapon of choice, but they are by far the most expensive and in very short supply – thank you Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump.

Iran and China support Putin because their industries benefit. See ISW link. “Ukrainian investigators discovered components manufactured at the Chinese Suzhou Ecod Precision Manufacturing Company in Russian Geran-type drones (Russian analogue of the Iranian Shahed drone) recovered in Kyiv City.”

US is deliberately aiding Putin’s offense by halting the delivery of Patriot missile systems already bought by the US. Germany is exploring the option of buying the Patriots from the US and giving them to Ukraine (see link above). I don’t think it will go far, because it clashes with Hegseth false claim that the Patriots are needed for the US security.

Hegseth will eventually have to answer to Congress of why he is making the destruction of Kyiv so much easier for Putin.

Putin’s goal is occupation of all of Ukraine. Putin is setting up for a multi-prong attack from the south, east and north (through Belarus) with an infantry heavily supported by North Korea. Russia started the war through an attack in Belarus and their recent buildup now is all part of Putin’s occupation of Ukraine. See link below:

Kyiv Independent, April 30, Zelensky warns Russia is ‘preparing something’ in Belarus under guise of military drills

Putin was quoted as saying, “We have a saying … where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours.” An apt response would be: “Be careful where you step, it could be your last one.”

The US should be 100% behind Ukraine as they resist the attacks from Russia. So far, Hegseth has reversed course, and denied the delivery of urgently needed defense equipment.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Putting a Smile on Putin’s Face

by Dave

The US is halting the shipment of defensive Patriot missiles to Ukraine. It is a clear sign that the US is letting Russia win this war. Ukraine desperately needs these missiles to defend their cities. Ukraine desparately needs these missiles to defend its cities.

The Patriot missiles were approved by Congress as part of a 66 billion dollar aid agreement for Ukraine under President Biden. As reported in the news, some Patriot missiles were already shipped to Ukraine, but Hegseth froze the transfer of custody from the US to Ukraine.

War is brutal. They count fatalities, but many die because medical facilities have been bombed and their wounds can’t be treated. Putin has indiscriminately bombed apartment buildings, hospitals, schools and power stations, to force Ukrainians to surrender.

Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, supported this decision, by stating that the stockpiles of Patriot missile systems had become very low in the US. This was immediately contradicted by an analysis conducted by the military, that our stockpile of Patriot missiles were no lower than in the past.

NBC July 4, 2025, Hegseth halted weapons for Ukraine despite military analysis that the aid wouldn’t jeopardize U.S. readiness

Pete Hegseth doesn’t mind lying, because this is exactly what his boss does. In fact, it is what Trump expects from his Cabinet secretaries. Put an MAGA cap on, smile to the camera, and talk about supporting America’s readiness and greatness are all part of the game.

The above link states that the announcement blindsided the State Department, European leaders, members of Congress and Ukraine.

We do not know what Putin and Trump discussed yesterday, but the results are pretty evident.

CNN, July 4, 7:58 am, Russia launches record number of drones at Ukraine after latest Trump-Putin phone call

Last night’s attack was done with 538 drones and 11 missiles. The Kinzhal missiles were used in these attacks, which only a Patriot missile could shoot down. Well, if they are lucky. This attack occurred within hours of the Trump-Putin conversation.

Trump doesn’t care that Hegseth is lying. He doesn’t care if CNN and New York Times journalists, are on the spot and can show the damage to residential areas. Fox News will report on their website, stories about illegal immigration or Iran, not last night’s brutal attack on Kyiv and other major cities.

Trump is all about appearances and how this plays out in the media. What I am certain Putin let Trump know, is that they are the rightful owners of Ukraine and that Ukraine will be better off with a change in management after Zelensky is gone. What Putin wanted from Trump, is simply let Russia finish off Ukraine without any additional sanctions. Trump is on a rampage to punish all our trading partners with sanctions which are essentially embargos but it’s hands off on Russia.

Putin must be very happy. He can attack Ukraine with Impunity. It’s reported that North Korea is sending 30,000 troops to support Russia. Of course they are getting paid. Iran is supplying drones, and Iran must be very happy to sell them to Russia. China is also aiding Russia with military equipment.

His [Putin} eye still very much on the prize, Putin said last week: “We have a saying … where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours.”

June 30, 2025, Russia’s summer offensive in Ukraine underwhelms – but Kyiv won’t be celebrating.

You need to attack with missiles to destroy and occupy a country. Blowing up a Patriot missile systems (missiles, radar and launcher) lets Russia achieve complete air superiority. Putin’s strategy is very simple, drain Ukraine’s stockpile of their Patriot missiles, achieve complete air superiority and roll into Kyiv with tanks.

There will be celebrations in Washington on this Fourth of July holiday. The media will cover the signing of the Big Beautiful/Ugly Bill. But there will be no celebration in Ukraine.

Thank Trump for making America weaker than ever. Trump is America’s gift to Putin.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Wikipedia, Patriot Missiles

There were numerous other stories, which give a real good idea of Trump’s thinking. Steve Bannon was fired by Trump in this first term, but was recently spotted entering the White House. He said what Trump needed to do is “flood the zone” as explained below:

Newsweek: Steve Bannon’s ‘Flood the Zone’ Strategy Explained Amid Trump Policy Blitz

Republicans have always been very strong on stopping Russian expansion. Marco Rubio as Florida’s senator would make passionate speeches about the inhumanity and loss of democracy under the autocratic regimes of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. These countries, along with North Korea, China and Iran are the allies of Russia in the invasion of Ukraine. Will our Secretary of State be silenced by Trump?

Federal Budget Circus

by Dave

There is plenty of commentary on the Big, Beautiful Bill, or the Big Bad Bill. Or Big Horrible Bill. Quick summary: Many Senate Republicans favor it, because it advances Trump’s agenda. Democrats will vote against it, for the same reason. We will simply refer to it as BBB.

There are millions of Americans who are more focused whether Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs will be found guilty of sex trafficking or the Bezos-Sanchez dream wedding in Venice. I don’t blame them. I haven’t followed either story, but here’s my take anyway. Combs is very guilty. On the wedding thing, Forbes recently posted that they think it costs around 25 million dollars. It was held on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Whether they were already married is open for debate.

Back to our real story. What has emerged as a weird sticking point is raising the debt ceiling by another 4 to 5 trillion dollars. The House version says 4 trillion, and the Senate version say 5 trillion. I call it weird, because Elizabeth Warren, the ardent Democrat, who clearly would call it the Big Horrible Bill, would eliminate the debt ceiling entirely. So, would Trump and on this point, they are both right!

Here’s Warren’s exact words:

“It is possible that hell has frozen over. President Trump and I agree on something very important: Abolish the debt limit. The debt limit is a political tool that allows the minority party to threaten economic collapse, forcing Congress to negotiate its demands. It serves no other function. None. It has no impact on spending, and it doesn’t restrain the growth of the national debt.

“I’ve pushed publicly and privately, whether Democrats or Republicans have been in charge, to scrap the debt ceiling permanently. Now, with Mr. Trump’s support, our country could finally get rid of this form of brinkmanship that has, for decades, threatened the stability of our economy.

The debt limit caps the amount of money the U.S. government can borrow. If the government hits the limit before Congress authorizes an increase, the U.S. would default on its debt. That means not making interest payments on U.S. bonds, not paying our military or halting Social Security checks. Chaos in the financial markets could cause millions of Americans to lose their jobs, while the cost of home mortgages and car loans would skyrocket. In short, we would create a self-inflicted financial crisis.”

It is very weird, as both Elon Musk and Rand Paul, make this a real sticking point for passage. Musk obviously in not a Senator, but he has made it his mission to see that the BBB is defeated by blasting away on Twitter. I’m saying this is weird, because both Musk and Paul are using the popular misconception of what the debt ceiling is, to support their views.

It is getting really nasty on social media as Musk described the BBB as follows:

“pork-filled spending bill that will massively increase the budget deficit and burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.”

Trump is parting ways with traditional Republicans, who reasoned that the best way for our economy to grow, was with less government intervention. Now, Trump promotes tariffs, which can artificially raise the price of US products to benefit manufacturers and hurt consumers, until the day when they are gone.

He would like to sack the head of the Federal Reserve, so he can cut rates, further fueling inflation, perhaps not immediately, but he would leave a terrible mess for the next administration. This is absolutely the worse government interference imaginable as it allows a president to play politics with interest rates. All to achieve very short term gain.

The national deficit and economic growth not the debt ceiling is what we should be worried about, and these will be impacted by the BBB and tariffs. Warren, Trump and others (like myself) want the debt ceiling gone, but simply raising it to 5 trillion dollars, will keep it from being a political bargaining chip in the short term.

I find it also bizarre that both Musk and Paul would make claims about raising the debt ceiling, completely contrary to statements from the US Treasury, under both Democratic and Republican presidents. But, at least with Senator Rand Paul, he’s had years of practice.

Don’t raise it, scrap it for the benefit of the current and future presidents.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Sen Warren: New York Times Opinion

Support Ukrainians and an Update on the War

by Dave

Top Charities to Support Ukraine

Unicef USA – I don’t know why they add USA, because Unicef is international, and they are on the ground in Ukraine, supplying food, medicine and education for families that have fled their homes in eastern Ukraine.

International Rescue Committee – By far, my favorite, because refugees are caught in conflicts they did not create, and have had their homes and communities destroyed.

Razom for Ukraine – Another excellent charity, with all contributions going to the survival of Ukraine and its people.

There are many others. Charity Navigator lists 24 charities working to help the victims of war.

Update

Wars don’t shut down for holidays. I believe Russia is playing the long game, a 3 year war, where they control Kyiv and most of the country by the end of Trump’s term. They are counting on the purely political instincts of Trump to abandon his European allies, and basically ignore the huge humanitarian crisis caused by Putin, as he ravages Ukraine with missiles, bombs and infantry.

Drones, bought from Iran, are supplying Russia with the weapon of choice for the front line attack. But the war must be won on the ground, and Russia has no problem using troops from North Korea to fight their war.

Putin, I am certain, has Trump pretty much figured out. Trump liked playing the peacemaker, or really the ultimate deal maker, giving Russia the occupied territory including Crimea plus territory they had yet to occupy (around 20% of Ukraine) in exchange for a ceasefire. I think his message to Zelensky, is it’s a case of “Deal or No Deal” as if this was a game show. Putin doesn’t want 20% if he can get 100%.

Putin will bomb hospitals, apartments, schools and other civilian targets. Power stations will be bombed, because Putin doesn’t want Ukrainians to be able to have electricity for cooking, heat and light.

Trump is having trouble right now with his fragile majority in the Senate, with the budget bill, so military funding for Ukraine is, I guess, a low priority. He stated that the war between Russia and Ukraine is like two boys fighting, and they’ll just have to settle it themselves. Wrong in every way! Russia began an unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine, and military experts did not give Ukraine any hope of survival given Russia’s overwhelmingly superior army and air force. Ukraine deserves our support.

I suggest making a 3 year pledge to support Ukraine. Ukraine has to make it to the end of Trump’s term, then real assistance can come from Democrats, who understand the importance of keeping Ukraine out of Putin’s hand. He will not stop at Ukraine. There are military bases in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. Mexico is a central hub for the Russian intelligence. (See link below). Despots like despots. El Salvador is strengthening its economic ties with Russia, and will turn a blind eye to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Brazil, I fear, is acting similarly and why not, they are really encouraged by Trump’s isolationist policies. The message to them, is do only what is in the short-term national interest of your country.

I have posted about Putin’s secret war inside Africa. Russia will continue to form alliances with corrupt leaders of Africa, who need protection from their own people.

Please don’t let Putin win. Contribute to the Ukrainian charities today.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Russia’s Changing Latin America Strategy

Trump’s isolation policies are a blessing to Putin’s ambitions.

Russia’s growing influence in Africa

Following the Ukraine War, Day by Day

by Dave

I began this blog to add commentary to stories that I considered needed more attention. So, unlike many websites, I have not commented on many well covered and/or politically charged issues of our time. The media will always jump at a story that includes violence and is local.

Case in point is the fatal shooting of Minnesota’s Representative Melissa Hoffman and attempted assassination of John and Yvette Hoffman. I am glad the latter are recovering fine. It is tragic, but there isn’t much I can add to the story. It backs up the old adage, “if it bleeds, it leads.”

A president has enormous powers when it comes to foreign affairs. Trump has repeated many times, that the Ukraine war should never had happened, and if he was president at the time, instead of Biden, it would not have happened. This is pure bunk, as the aggressive military expansionary policies of Putin, were well known. The pre-text to the February 2022 attack was the insurrection in the Donbas region, supported by Russia.

Military expert General Jack Keane stated known intelligence suggested Putin anticipated his invasion of Ukraine would happen swiftly and with little resistance. Instead, Putin encountered a resolute Ukrainian military, backed by a strengthened NATO alliance.

Putin would prefer to buy out a country’s leader than invade it. This ultimately how Chechnya became subservient to Russia. Putin thought he could overtake Kyiv through an assault with tanks through Belarus in February 2022.

The Biden administration was clear eyed about Putin’s intention. It is to topple the government and control the country. For Biden, it was all about defending Ukraine through punitive sanctions and military coordination with the European countries.

Trump campaigned on this idea of being this great negotiator and bring Ukraine and Russia to some agreement. The talks in Istanbul are hopeless, as Russia only wanted to expand the territory it occupied and conducted a massive attack during negotiations. On June 14, Putin called Trump to wish him a well on his birthday, according to reports. Apparently, he told Trump that talks on a negotiated settlement should begin after the prisoner exchanges were complete. All Putin was trying to do, is keep the US to cut military aid to Ukraine, on the idea this would be harmful to possible settlements.

The summer offensive by Russia is likely to be brutal. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth has likely given Russia assistance, by diverting the “proximity fuzes” needed to shoot down Russia drones to the US military stationed in the Middle East. This was equipment was part of a 61 billion dollar package approved by Congress for Ukrainian defense.

Further, Secretary Hegseth turned over leadership to NATO’s Contact Group Ukraine Defense Group to Germany and the UK and skipped the June 3 meeting at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels. Hegseth is expected to speak at the June 24 to 25 NATO Summit, and Russia will be listening very closely, to tell whether his statements are strengthening or weakening the military support needed to defend Ukraine.

If he gives similar statements as in February, Russia will know that Trump will, once again, use the idea of a possible negotiated settlement, to deny Ukraine the desperately needed military and humanitarian assistance. I call it a Trump fantasy, good for his supporters, and awful for Ukraine and European defense.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Russia attacks deeper into Ukraine

by Dave

Every day, Russia is in control of key territory, and ultimately this is what Putin wants. It a matter of square kilometers of territory under control, rather than casualties on the ground or successful assaults using missiles and drones, that demonstrates Russia’s success.

The initial occupation took place in the Donetsk region. Russia solidly controls Crimea as well. They have now extended their reach further to central Ukraine by occupying parts of the Dnipropetrovsk region, or Dnipro for short. So, their strategy is fairly easy to see on a map, taking Ukraine, bit by bit, with Sumy and Kharkiv in the north, Dnipro in the central region and Odesa in the south.

Ukraine military denies the Russian advance into Dnipro, so nothing is known for certain. See link:

Putin’s negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, in the so-called “Peace Memorandum” is asking for Ukraine to cede more territory than the 20% controlled by Russia and a guarantee from the US that Ukraine will never join NATO. It demands that Ukraine recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea, as well as Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts — none of which are fully under Moscow’s control.

I would suggest Putin’s negotiator told Zelensky, that he knew it would be extreme difficult to accept the terms, but this might be his only option, since the goal is total occupation.

Russia admitted its ‘peace memorandum’ is an ultimatum Kyiv won’t accept, Zelensky says

The talks are now focus on prisoner exchanges, return of Ukrainian children and remains of dead soldiers rather than a solution to the conflict.

Russia is getting support for their invasion from Iran, which is selling them drones. North Korea has sent troops to help Russia win. China is also supplying military equipment.

Interestingly, the Israel-Iran conflict may mean fewer drones being sent to Russia.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

The Institute of the Study of War, continues to be the best source of detailed information.

See latest update:

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 13, 2025

Russia intensifies war and US remains silent

by Dave

The massive bombing attacks occurred in Kyiv and the port city of Odessa using missiles and drones. They destroyed mainly civilian targets. The drones can not carry much payload, so the death toll was low. But, they carry a message to all Ukrainians, to leave because we are coming with tanks.

CNN: Massive Russian drone attack slams Kyiv and hits maternity hospital in Odesa, Ukrainian officials say

Ukrainian officials claim a maternity hospital was hit by missiles and drones. It is too soon to know the full extent of damage. The particular drone used by the Russians is the Iranian Shahed 136. It was a massive attack with 315 drones. Pictures of injured Ukrainians from broken glass from a maternity ward were really terrible.

Link: Wikipedia HESA Shahed 136 drone

So both Iran and Russia must be overjoyed to know that Secretary Hegseth will not deliver to Ukraine the essential component of anti-drone defense, namely the proximity fuzes so they can defend themselves.

Russia must be very happy with Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth as he failed to attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on June 5-6 at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. His opening remarks on February 12, 2025 were pretty bad, because he said laid fault with Ukraine for not conceding occupied territory in advance of “Peace Talks” which had nothing to do with peace.

Link: Hegseth to skip Ukraine meeting at NATO headquarters

Instead, Matt Whitaker, Ambassador to NATO went in his place. He has been on the job exactly two months and zero experience in the military. See video clip at end, of why Matt Whitaker should never been approved as Ambassador to NATO. See link at end of this post.

I applaud the Secretary General Mark Rutte, as he stated shorty after the meeting, “Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We can not dream away the danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance.” His comments on increased spending should have been music to Donald Trump, as he stated, “America has carried too much of the burden for too long.”

It is clear, that Ukraine is struggling to defend itself. Putin can talk peace, but it is only to keep Trump happy, which he has managed to do quite well. He wants control of Ukraine. The next important date will be June 24-25, 2025 for the NATO Summit. I expect if Secretary Hegseth shows up, it will only be to praise Trump and congratulate certain nations on paying their fair share of NATO expenses.

The war could end tomorrow, if Russia simply respects the agreed upon borders of Ukraine. Ukraine’s only chance for long term survival is membership within NATO. It can only happen after the war is over.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Video clip by Rachel Maddow on Matt Whitaker, our Ambassador to NATO. Apparently, singing high praises to Trump is enough.

Opening Comments at February 12, NATO Group by Peter Hegseth

Excerpt for a Feb 13, 2025 article by Ivana Strader, Foundations for the Defense of Democracies, Ivana Strader

The original Minsk agreements were failures precisely because they provided no real backing for Ukraine, only a phony ceasefire and endless talks while Russia continued to bolster rebels in the Donbass. The Trump administration is right that the new negotiations must not become a third Minsk, but it is wrong to take Ukrainian Nato membership off the table. No matter what Putin’s propaganda may say, it is clear that he fears the Western alliance. In its imperial quest to rebuild the Soviet “sphere of influence” Russia has attacked Moldova, Georgia, and now Ukraine, all countries lacking the protection of Nato membership. Clearly, Nato membership is a powerful deterrent; it is also one which Russia has no grounds to object to. After all, the United States makes no demands as to the membership of Russia’s Collective Security Treaty Organisation. The Trump administration risks disarming itself of a key source of leverage before negotiations even begin.

Full article

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HESA_Shahed_136

Russia Retaliates and US fails to adjust policy

by Dave

I wanted Trump to fully condemn the retaliation attack on Ukraine, and tell Russia, to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine. Call Putin out once, as leading a brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. His lack of response shows weakness.

CNN reports: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had used more than 400 drones and 40 missiles in the overnight attack, making it among the war’s largest. He said Moscow targeted “almost all” of Ukraine, listing nine regions, from Lviv in the west to Sumy in the northeast.”

Retaliation was expected. Ukraine had hit targets an astonishing 2800 miles from the Ukraine-Russia border. The drones had been smuggled in, then located them in close proximity to the airbases, disguised as small shacks. Before the drones were released, everyone was evacuated and the lids of the shacks were opened by remote control.

Russia called Ukraine’s attack “terrorism.” I prefer the tactics of asymmetrical warfare. Russia wants to instill fear into Ukraine, and give them a sense that the war can not be won. Ukraine showed two can play this game. The difference is that Ukraine did not attack any residential areas.

George Washington commanded a tiny militia in comparison to Britain’s army. But he understood the adage that, “A good offense is the best defense.” (see note at end) But missile and drones by themselves do not capture territory. So, Russia’s unmanned attacks are a prelude to sending in tanks to secure territory.

It has been an unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine since February 24, 2022. Others would consider the invasion began on February 20, 2014, when Russia seized Crimea. Ukraine military has demonstrated since the beginning of hostilities, that incredible toughness, discipline and cleverness in tactics in spite of being vastly outnumbered. The US should be praising Ukraine and promising them more military support.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), is a non-profit which provides detailed assessments of the war. Their latest assessment shows advances by Russia in the northeast area of Sumy and to the south of the occupied territory. See link: Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 7, 2025 .

It is definitely a war that is being fought on multiple fronts. At the same time, there is the propaganda war. The Peace Talks in Istanbul focused only on prisoner of war exchanges. The latest report from ISW states:

“Russia baselessly accused Ukraine of failing to conduct a prisoner of war (POW) exchange and to repatriate the bodies of killed in action (KIA) soldiers on June 6 — part of the Kremlin’s efforts to undermine mutually agreed upon confidence building measures with Ukraine.”

Further, it is stated that:

“Russian officials continue efforts to deflect blame away from Russia and onto Western states for the lack of progress toward a peace settlement.”

Ukraine Defenses against Drones

It is very hard to defend against 400 drones and 40 missiles all coming at once. However, large drones traveling long distances will fly low and can be spotted and shot down or otherwise destroyed. This is the good news.

Detection is difficult, but small radar units can identify drones. They can be shot down with machine guns or missiles, which will try to intercept the drone, if they are within range. But, it is hardly precise.

Proximity Fuzes and Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine

Four days ago, it was reported by CNN that all “proximity fuzes” approved by Congress and destined for Ukraine will be shipped instead to Yemen, by order of Secretary of Defense, Peter Hegseth.

CNN: Pentagon diverting key anti-drone technology from Ukraine to US forces in the Middle East

I was totally stunned at this news, although the media was pre-occupied by other events. I knew few people outside of the military understood the significance. When a missile is in close proximity to a drone, the proximity fuze triggers the missile to explode and destroy the drone.

Peter Hegseth dealt a terrible blow to Ukraine’s defenses. They will be less able to defend themselves against Russia’s attack and Russia isn’t going to lose one minute, to continue their massive attacks along Ukraine’s eastern border. Unlike the Ukrainian drone attack, they will bomb apartments, hospitals, schools, and other non-military targets to clear the way for occupation.

The proximity fuzes will be used to support Yemen against Houthi rebels. Houthi rebels are in northern Yemen. In the past, US provided Yemen with logistical and intelligence support to the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi rebels. Trump greatly increase our involvement in March 2025 with airstrikes against the Houthi rebels. The Houthi rebels attacked two tankers last year in the Red Sea.

Let me say at the onset, that the proximity fuzes are elements of Ukraine defensive arsonal. It means Ukraine will have less success defending itself. Trump is not approving new military aid to Ukraine. Russia is counting on winning by attrition. Russia concocts lies about Ukraine refusal to return the bodies of Russian’s killed in action or to agree to prisoner exchanges.

So, thanks to Peter Hegseth, Russia will be more successful in their planned overthrow of Ukraine. Yemen also needs defending, but the nine arab country coalition, let by Saudi Arabia means the Yemen government will have strong military support in the future. Plus, Trump through actions of Secretary Hegseth is blatantly ignoring the approval of Ukraine military support and giving Russia the green light to continue their invasion.

It is not about 2 boys in a fight as Trump recently portrayed the war. It is about a democratic country fighting for its survival. And the President ignoring the intent of Congress in defending Ukraine.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Washington himself wrote in 1799, “offensive operations, often times, is the surest, if not the only (in some cases) means of defense,” according to Wikipedia.  (Thank you Google AI).

Wikipedia: Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war

AP News: Salvage complete of tanker at center of oil spill scare after being hit by Houthi rebels in Red Sea (January 10, 2025)

The civil war in Yemen is complex as many other countries are taking sides. The conflict has strong underpinnings in the split between the Shia faction (Houthis) and Sunni faction (Yemen government). Wikipedia has many pages devoted to various aspects of this conflict. There have been various efforts to negotiate a peace agreement. Perhaps in a later blog, I will go into more detail.

The Drone Attack on Russia Airbases

by Dave

Forget the old movies, with many bombs being dropped from large bombers flying at high altitudes at night. Drones don’t work that way. Drones are incredibly small, quiet and precise. Drones were smuggled into Russia and flown at low altitudes to avoid radar. The target aircraft could be seen from satellites. The drones used by Ukraine could not fly far, so Ukraine smuggled them into Russia close to the airfields. See link:

New footage reveals the impact of Ukraine’s audacious drone attack on Russian air bases

As pointed out in the article below, Russia has clear air superiority. In a phone call between Trump and Putin, Putin says he will retaliate.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Trump’s Ukrainian Policy

by Dave

Biden’s policy was quite simple. We would help arm Ukraine so they could defend their country against the Russian invasion. We would never put our troops in Ukraine. As Biden stated, when US and Russians meet on the battlefield, this is the start of World War III. However, the US and European leader would ultimately convince Putin through sanctions and arms that Ukraine was not theirs.

Trump’s One Day Solution

Trump on the other hand just had sound bites. The Russian invasion would never had happened if he had been president. Sure, he would get on the phone and tell Putin that invasion of another country was really stepping over the line. He even blamed the invasion on Kamala Harris, saying she met with Putin days prior to the invasion in 2022. This was a lie.

Trump’s False Claim That Harris Met with Putin

And of course, his most famous line was that he would end the Ukraine war on the first day of his administration. On April 25, he said it was just a figure of speech. “Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended,” he added.

A lot of supporters thought all that was needed was to elect Trump as the master in making the “deal” between Ukraine and Russia. Now we know, he had nothing in his hip pocket to offer Putin to withdraw.

The peace talks are a joke. The constant bombing of the northeastern city of Sumy in Ukraine shows Russia is clearing the area so Russian forces can capture Kyiv. They are also bombing targets including residential areas in the south and west of Ukraine, where there are few defenses.

Sumy city under threat as Russian forces advance, Ukraine says (Attack on June 3)

Ukraine has retaliated by bombing military targets deep within Russia. See link below:

Ukraine’s drone attack on Russian warplanes was a serious blow to the Kremlin’s strategic arsenal

This was followed by an attack of the Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Russia to Crimea. The extent of damages is unclear at present. Early reports indicate that the bridge is operational.

As Russia reels from drone attack, Ukraine targets vital Crimean Bridge

US gives Russia incentive to continue military attacks

The last “Peace Talks” lasted just one hour. The discussion was only about the exchange of prisoners.

Under Biden administration, the policy was to form a united front in confronting Russia’s invasion and continue to put pressure on through isolating Russia with tough economic sanction. Trump’s policy has boiled down to a “head in the sand” approach.

US Defence Secretary Hegseth to skip NATO-led meeting on Ukraine military support

Drought in Military Aid to Ukraine Enters Uncharted Territory

The NATO Summit (June 24-25, 2025) will be watched closely by Russia, in deciding more attacks on Ukraine. Military experts indicate that the European leaders, like France and Germany, can make up for the lack of support from the US. However, there are certain critical parts in the military arsonal which Ukraine depends on the US.

The Walk Away Option

I like the way a recent opinion post in CNN put it:

What Trump says he is tempted to do, though, is simply walk away from the whole mess. This is Biden’s war, he insists, or Putin’s and Zelensky’s.

But walking away – and it is unclear what that means in terms of US policy – may no longer be an option. At least not walking away unscathed.

His own insistence on ending the Ukraine conflict, along with his personal interventions with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders, means that Trump and the United States are now inextricably linked with the outcome.

That’s why events on the battlefield and at the negotiating table in Istanbul are being watched so closely.

Despite his regular attempts to disown it, the Ukraine war has very much become Trump’s war on which US credibility now hangs by a thread.

Of course, with Ukraine’s successful attacks on the airfields, Putin is characterizing Ukraine as the aggressor, lead by US and European countries. This is nonsense. Trump liked to say that Russia held all the cards in securing peace on their terms. Now, Ukraine has shown it has a few cards to play as well.

Stay tuned,

Dave

What the hell happened to Putin?

by Dave

Donald Trump exact words, “What the hell happened to him?” in response of Putin’s massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine, many of them targeting civilians in Kyiv.

Answer: Nothing. If anyone has been paying attention to Putin in the last, at least 15 years, his attack is absolutely consistent with his objective of total control of Ukraine. Trump’s former ambassador to Ukraine could have easily told him, but of course she quit, saying Trump just wanted to appease Putin. Ambassador Brink wrote: “I just came home to Michigan from three years in the toughest job of my life ― serving as the American Ambassador to Ukraine ― supporting our democratic ally against brutal, unprovoked aggression by Russia.” Excellent.

Trump considers himself master of the deal. His overblown ego constantly gets in the way of making proper decisions. Always up front, is appearances, or exactly how to support an image of someone who gets things done.

Getting really in the way is the MAGA rhetoric, which boils down to everyone in the world is taking advantage of us. China is ripping us off. The European Union is another hostile entity, design to undermine the US competitive advantage. So, Trump’s initial attack against Zelensky, as just another hustler, misusing billions of dollars of our assistance, is falling short of reality.

“One size fits all” is probably the best line, of the chief defect in Trump’s policies. See article below:

MAGA goes global: Trump’s plan for Europe

The Ukraine needs military and humanitarian aid, to survive. It is hard for Trump to see the bigger picture. His mind is still embedded in marketing and real estate deals, where the big fish triumph. But not by bombing!

Military assistance can in the short run, ruin a president’s popularity. We have no boots on the ground, but billions of dollars are needed to defend against Russia’s aggression. Trump can sound compassionate about “ending the bloodshed” but what he wants is to end the flow of billions of US dollars to defend Ukraine. The popularity of Truman and Bush, Jr sank as the Korean and Iraqi wars dragged on. Approval ratings of Truman and Bush dropped to record lows of 22 and 25%, respectively, according to Gallup polls.

“The worst kind of foreign commitments from Trump’s perspective are military alliances. They make no sense to him, as the US is bound to protect countries that are too weak to defend themselves. These “weakling” states, meanwhile, thrive and compete economically with their protector.” Trump’s transactional mindset, is that if we are backing a country to defend it, we ought to be getting something in return.

I was glad to see Ukraine and the US sign the minerals deal. It will survive as long as Ukraine and Zelensky survive. The continuation of military and humanitarian assistance is vital. But, this means a 180 turn for Trump and a simple understanding that Russia is the invader, and the best chance for Ukraine to survive, is with Zelensky. It means supporting a long defensive war until Putin realizes he can’t win, is in the best interests of the US.

Will Trump finally come to Ukraine’s side and work again with European democracies? It’s happened before. The stock market’s recent reaction to bold tariff’s announcements, is to cling to the “taco” belief, that Trump always chickens out.

Stay tuned,

Dave

 

Ukraine and the Resignation of Ambassador Bridget Brink

by Dave

Ambassadors from the United States serve “at the pleasure of the President” and can be removed at any time. They can also resign as Ambassador Brink did on April 11, 2025. Her letter of resignation was published in the Detroit Free Press as follows:

” I just came home to Michigan from three years in the toughest job of my life ― serving as the American Ambassador to Ukraine ― supporting our democratic ally against brutal, unprovoked aggression by Russia.

I have proudly served five presidents ― Republicans and Democrats ― to make sure the United States is the strongest, greatest country that the world has ever known.

I respect the president’s right and responsibility to determine U.S. foreign policy ― with proper checks and balances by U.S. Congress. It is the role of America’s Foreign Service to execute that policy. Unfortunately, the policy since the beginning of the Trump administration has been to put pressure on the victim, Ukraine, rather than on the aggressor, Russia.

As such, I could no longer in good faith carry out the administration’s policy and felt it was my duty to step down. After nearly three decades serving our country, I resigned as our ambassador to Ukraine.

I cannot stand by while a country is invaded, a democracy bombarded, and children killed with impunity. I believe that the only way to secure U.S. interests is to stand up for democracies and to stand against autocrats. Peace at any price is not peace at all ― it is appeasement. And history has taught us time and again that appeasement does not lead to safety, security or prosperity. It leads to more war and suffering.”

— Why Trump doesn’t care about Ukraine

Trump made many promises as he campaigned. One was to end the Ukraine war on day one of his presidency. Nobody believed it. But, it suited right-wing followers, who see the US as too involved in the problems of others.

One sentence in the resignation letter says it all:

“the [Ukraine] policy since the beginning of the Trump administration has been to put pressure on the victim, Ukraine, rather than on the aggressor, Russia.”

What kind of pressure? Putin is looking for concessions from the US and Ukraine, which will ultimately lead to the complete domination of Ukraine by Russia. The Trump administration is helping Russia in their misinformation against Ukraine. The biggest lie, was told just last week, and that Ukraine started the war. Seriously?

“You don’t start a war against someone 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles,” he said at the White House on Monday. (I nominate this as the Politifact Lie of the Year, first told in Feb 15, 2025).

This comment followed Russia’s deadly attack on residential areas of the city of Sumy, killing 35 residents. The strategic importance of Sumy is obvious, as it lies just east of Kyiv, and would be an obvious point of ground attack on the capital.

BBC link: Trump blames Zelensky for starting war after massive Russian attack

February 24, 2022 is a day every Ukrainian will remember, as a column of Russian tanks drove south into Ukraine from Belarus, to “liberate” or denazify Ukraine, by capturing Kyiv. They accused Zelensky as being a nazi, even though he is Jewish. So the claim that Ukraine started the war is laughable.

— Mischaracterizing Zelensky as a corrupt leader

The money is the money. What bothered me — I hated to see the way it was, you know, excuse me, pissed away,” Trump said. “I hated to see that checks were sent for $60 billion every time Zelensky [traveled to Washington]. Where is all this money going?” he fumed.

Of course this is not true. Congress approves military assistance. The Defense Department then authorizes and follows up on the assistance.

This follows a whole series of lies Trump has spread since he campaigned for the presidency. And he will always be blaming Biden.

Ambassador Brink served as the US eyes and ears on the ground in Ukraine, and visited the residential areas, including schools and hospitals, that Putin had bombed. It must have been tough hearing Trump praise Putin and blame the victim, which is not just Zelensky, but the 37 million Ukrainian citizens.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Reality check from Wikipedia:

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the conflict between the two countries which began in 2014.[15][16][17] The fighting has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. As of 2025, Russian troops occupy about 20% of Ukraine. From a population of 41 million, about 8 million Ukrainians had been internally displaced and more than 8.2 million had fled the country by April 2023, creating Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Fact Checking Sites:

February 19, 2025 CNN, Trump falsely calls Zelensky ‘a dictator’ after Ukraine’s leader accuses him of living in ‘disinformation space’

March 2, 2025, PBS, Fact-checking Trump and Vance’s attacks on Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

April 25, 2025. Thursday Briefing: Trump Lashes Out at Zelensky

This last link may not be accessible to everyone. The key statement is by Trump, “He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” Trump wrote on social media.

It is telling Zelensky that he’s got no options. The fallacy, of course, is Putin doesn’t want 30% of Ukraine. He wants the entire country under his control.

Trade Wars Stupidity

by Dave

A Trade War supported by Lies

Trump claimed that in 2024, “China made $1 trillion off trade with the United States.” Donald Trump, April 11, 2025. Trump made this claim 5 times in the last week. It is false. There is a trade imbalance with China. China surplus is 263 billion dollars. It means that China sells a lot more goods and services to the US than we sell to China. This surplus was decreasing in 2023 and 2024.

Politifact Link

Economists have warned Trump that trade wars are a lose-lose game. The cost of tariffs are passed on to consumer, increasing the cost of products. In 2024, candidate Trump acted concerned about inflation. He blasted Biden for high inflation which peaked in 2022. He gave Biden no credit for bringing down inflation. Now, he doesn’t care. See article:

Commentary: Trump never cared about inflation

It is an excellent article. The tariffs cause stagflation, which is a combination of increasing prices and a slowing economy. His reaction is a quick fix, by lowering interest rates, which makes borrowing easier. He is now looking ways to fire Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve, so he can install someone who will cut interest rates. The Federal Reserve is an independent branch of government.

Another lie is how much the US is gaining on the payment of tariffs. The U.S. is “taking in almost $2 billion a day in tariffs.” according to Trump. It’s way off base. Politifact rules this as false. The U.S. Treasury’s April 8 daily statement shows $192 million in revenues for custom duties and certain excise taxes.

Politifact link on tariff payments

More absurd false statements came from Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s Press Secretary, who stated that the tariffs should be viewed as a tax cut. Politifact judges this as false. See link below. I particularly like the quote from economist Tara Sinclair, who stated “Economists don’t agree on much, but we agree tariffs are taxes on consumers.” Yes, Trump is raising taxes. If you read Leavitt’s response to a journalist, you have to give her an A+ for creativity in presenting a rosy outlook, detached from present reality.

Politifact link on tariffs as tax cuts

Liberation Day (April 2) and Hitting the Pause Button (April 9)

April 2 was called Liberation Day by Trump as the trade war suddenly impacted approximately 150 countries with tariffs as high as 50%. Trump referred to them as “reciprocal tariffs” but they were not based on tariffs the countries imposed on US goods sold in their countries.

The reaction was immediate. Across April 3 and 4, U.S. stocks lost $6.6 trillion in value, their largest two-day loss in history by a margin of $2.2 trillion. On April 9, Trump paused all new tariffs for 90 days.

The situation since April 9 is very fluid. The reactions of world leaders were not like Trump described it, as leaders desperately trying to make deals with the US in a mad rush to avoid these tariffs. Instead, they consulted with their other trading partners. It is likely the multinational talks will continue. See Wikipedia link at end.

China and Japan’s Reactions

An extremely high tariff of 125% is currently levied against all of China’s exports. China responded with a tariff of 145% against US goods.

For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping travelled to three Southeast Asian countries last week to bolster regional ties. He called on trading partners, including Vietnam, to oppose unilateral bullying. “There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars,” Xi said in an article published in Vietnamese media, without mentioning the US.

Trump stated there has been great progress with Japan on tariffs. Japan’s response to tariffs on export of cars, was that it was “inconsistent” with the trade agreement of 2019 as negotiated in Trump’s first term. So, Trump agreed in 2019 not to levy tariffs on cars, then once he’s re-elected, he ignores his own trade agreement. See link below.

Trump’s auto tariffs spark concerns in Japan

A credibility gap has gotten larger. Trump and his economic advisors, continue their rosy outlook, while the trade relationships deteriorate coupled with a slowing economy and higher prices. The Dow Jones Average dropped about 1,000 points as investors looked elsewhere to invest their money.

How far will Trump go?

Trump is in trouble. Ir is not just his wealthy donors are losing money in the stock market. Many Americans are feeling the pain. My retirement account has definitely been hit hard. Tariffs will mean higher prices. Economists have shown it is the poorest Americans, who buy the most goods affected by tariffs.

“President Donald Trump has proven that tariffs work for the American people,” Mr. Navarro said in January. “It’s not going to be painful for America. It’s going to be a beautiful thing.”

Peter Navarro is the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing to U.S. president Donald Trump since January 2025. Mr. Navarro echoed Mr. Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election. And he defied the Congressional subpoena relating to the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, and was sentenced to jail. Upon his release, Mr. Navarro went directly to the campaign trail and campaigned for the president through Election Day.

So, how far will Trump go all depends on who has Trump’s ear at the time. It has been reported that his other economic advisors want to have a more focused approach to tariffs. But, Trump doesn’t back down easily, despite the push back.

The Wikipedia link provided below is an excellent review of the current tariffs and generally be kept up to date.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Wikipedia: Tariffs in the second Trump administration

NY Times, April 20, The Trade Adviser Who Hates Trade

I have included this link, but I am not sure if it can be opened by non-subscribers to NY Times. It is an excellent article on Peter Navarro.

Trump’s Canada Bashing and Lies to Justify Tariffs

by Dave

Wow! In Trump’s first term, Trump would miss no opportunity to brag about the USMCA (US, Mexico and Canada) that is a trade agreement he negotiated to replace NAFTA. He campaigned relentlessly on the idea that both Mexico and Canada were taking advantage of NAFTA, and he was able to negotiate a lot better agreement.

As usual, in his first term, Trump said: I’m going to renegotiate NAFTA, one of the worst trade deals ever signed in the history of our country.

This could be because it was signed by a Democrat, Bill Clinton. Trade agreements are very long documents covering many issues. From Wikipedia:

During his 2016 election campaign and presidency, Trump was highly critical of NAFTA (often times describing it as “perhaps the worst trade deal ever made”) while extolling USMCA as “a terrific deal for all of us”. The USMCA is very similar to NAFTA, carrying over many of the same provisions and making only modest, mostly cosmetic changes, and is expected to have only a minor economic effect. Former U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor, who oversaw the signing of NAFTA during the Bill Clinton administration, said, “It’s the original NAFTA.”

The last comment by Mickey Kantor is likely a bit exaggerated, as there were significant changes in the USMCA agreement as discussed in the Wikipedia post.

Trump’s Lies

So far I count 12 lies. More are probably coming. Historically, the US and Canada have been very good partners, working out our differences without a lot of political rhetoric and lies. All these lies were told by Trump since January 2025. Some lies are directed at President Biden as usual (lie # 4 and 12). Remember they are lies.

1 FALSE: Canadian public likes the idea of becoming the 51st state. Truth is the Canadian public overwhelmingly opposes.

2 FALSE: US trade deficit with Canada is $200 billion. Trump has also stated the deficit is around $250 billion (from Barron’s). Barron’s cites our deficit with Canada is $64 billion. CNN cites two deficit values, 36 billion and 71 billion, the lower figure is for goods and services, and the higher value is for goods alone. All these values are nowhere close to the values cited by Trump.

3 FALSE: Canada is one of the world’s highest-tariff countries. It is actually low in global rankings.

4 FALSE: Canada hiked its dairy tariffs during the Biden administration. Tariffs haven’t changed since Trump’s first presidency.

5 FALSE: President Donald Trump claims that Canada has been “ripping us off for years” with a 250% tariff on U.S. dairy products. (Yahoo Finance) . “It is accurate that Canada imposes a tariff of approximately 250% on U.S. exports of certain dairy products into Canada. However, that tariff would only apply if we were able to reach and exceed the quota on U.S. dairy exports agreed to under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.” (Yahoo Finance- Link provided below). This is the trade agreement that Trump boasted as a “terrific deal for all of us.”

6 FALSE: Canada generally doesn’t “take” US agricultural exports. Canada is the world’s second-biggest buyer of those exports.

7 FALSE: Canada prohibits US banks. Truth is that more than a dozen US banks are operating in Canada today. Barrons and CNN consider this is a lie. “American banks are not allowed to do business in Canada,” Trump said in a social media post last month.

8 FALSE: Canada is “constantly surrounded” by Chinese and Russian ships. In fact, a smattering of Russian and Chinese military ships and jets, as well as Chinese research vessels viewed with suspicion by Canada and the US, have been occasionally spotted in recent years in the vicinity of the US state of Alaska – and have been monitored or intercepted by the Canadian and US militaries.

9 FALSE: Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was using the ongoing tariff battle to run again for prime minister. The truth is Trudeau clearly wasn’t running.

10 FALSE: Canada spends less than 1% of gross domestic product on defense. Truth is NATO figures showed it was an estimated 1.37% last year.

11 FALSE: Trump has claimed that Canada gets 95 percent of its “product” from the United States. Trump is talking about foreign imports. US accounts for 62%. About 76% of goods exported from Canada go to the US.

12 FALSE: Trump claims massive entry of illegal immigrants and vast quantities of fentanyl from Canada. He does this by lumping Mexico and Canada together as if together, they are causing unemployment, crime and drug addiction. So, while this has nothing directly tied to tariffs, I guess the point Trump is making is that we have to start hating Canada and problems they caused, to justify the tariffs.

But consider the absurdity of it all, when we levy tariffs against a country, which has very little to do with our fentanyl epidemic or illegal immigration. Exactly, how do Canadian leaders roll back tariffs?

I guess for those who hate foreigners and blame all problems on them, this lie works. As researched by Factcheck.org, the two countries are very different. For example, in December 2024, apprehensions from Canada was 510 illegals, as compared to with 47,326 illegals from Mexico. So the split between the two countries is 99:1.

This lie about Canadians bringing in vast quantities of fentanyl is closely tied to another lie from Trump, that the fentanyl addictions accounted for 300,000 deaths in the US in 2024. Usually, this lie is tied to a political statement that Biden and the liberals did nothing about the illegal drug trafficking.

So, there is a long series of lies to correct. And I have to back up a bit. First, fentanyl is the narcotic of choice for drug smugglers because it is so concentrated, that a very small amount can cause an overdone. It is well documented that fentanyl is not carried over our border with Mexico by illegal immigrants. It is brought into the US by legal US citizens who hide the drug in their cars or trucks. It can come in by boats and planes. Sometimes, the express mail services are used to send fentanyl or pre-cursors.

Second, there were 74,000 deaths attributed to synthetic opioids (generally fentanyl) in 2024. The good news that during the Biden administration, fentanyl deaths were on the decline. Yet, it had nothing to do with Democrats or Biden administration, but with the discovery of the antagonist drug, naxolene, which helps saves addicts when they overdose.

This obviously is way off the topic of Canadian tariffs, but it is standard for Trump to jump from one lie to another, in connecting the dots that don’t exist. I can usually spot a couple lies as soon as he starts his rants. With this list of 12 lies, you can watch Trump talk and catch his favorite lies.

Trump is weakening our country and our economy, by playing to radical isolationist sentiment rather than building on good working relations with our neighbors. The region including Canada, Mexico, and the United States is one of the world’s largest free trade zones,with a population of more than 510 million people and an economy of $30.997 trillion in nominal GDP — nearly 30 percent of the global economy, and the largest of any trade bloc in the world. (Wikipedia- see first link) At the same time, he is violating the USMCA agreement, that his administration negotiated in this first term as president.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Wikipedia, US-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA)

Factcheck.org: Illegal Immigration and Fentanyl at the U.S. Northern and Southwest Borders
By D’Angelo Gore

Yahoo Finance: Does Canada Really Have A 250% Tariff In Place On US Dairy Products Imported Into Canada? Here Are The Facts

CNN: Fact check: Nine Trump false claims about Canada

Barrons: Fact-check: Trump’s Claims About Canada