Putin bromance has US intelligence officials fearing second Trump term

Trump praised the Russian president as a “genius” and “pretty savvy” when Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, and has boasted he would end the war in a “day”, sparking critics’ fears that if he’s elected again Trump would help Russia achieve a favorable peace deal by cutting off aid to Kyiv. Trump also recently …

FBI informant who lied about Bidens’ Ukraine ties had contact with Russians – prosecutors

Prosecutors revealed the alleged contact as they urged a judge to keep Alexander Smirnov behind bars while he awaits trial. He’s charged with falsely reporting to the FBI in June 2020 that executives associated with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and the president $5m each in 2015 or 2016. The claim has been central to …

The mystery of the missing binder: How a collection of raw Russian intelligence disappeared under Trump

Its disappearance, which has not been previously reported, was so concerning that intelligence officials briefed Senate Intelligence Committee leaders last year about the missing materials and the government’s efforts to retrieve them, the sources said. In the two-plus years since Trump left office, the missing intelligence does not appear to have been found. The binder …

Ukraine implicates 3 Giuliani [R] allies in plot to help Russia meddle in 2020 US election

A sitting Ukrainian lawmaker who helped Rudy Giuliani smear Joe Biden during the 2020 US presidential campaign has been jailed on suspicion of treason, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday, in a statement accusing him of carrying out a Russian disinformation operation. [...] The SBU has also implicated two former Ukrainian officials in the pro-Russia …

How Barr’s Quest to Find Flaws in the Russia Inquiry Unraveled

But after almost four years — far longer than the Russia investigation itself — Mr. Durham’s work is coming to an end without uncovering anything like the deep state plot alleged by Mr. Trump and suspected by Mr. Barr. Moreover, a monthslong review by The New York Times found that the main thrust of the …

63 Republicans vote against House resolution affirming support for NATO and its ‘democratic principles’

The 21 Republicans who evidently disagree make up "a group three times the size of 'the Squad,' which Republicans claim is in control of every aspect of Democratic policy," Saletan writes. "Imagine how much power those 21 Republicans would wield in a GOP-controlled House," not to mention the 63 who voted against the NATO resolution. https://theweek.com/law-and-order/1012260/ex-federal-defense-contractor-is-1st-capitol-riot-defendant-to-be-acquitted …

Trump asks Putin for Biden dirt; Russian state TV calls to “again help our partner Trump”

Trump's remarks Tuesday underscore his relentless efforts to use foreign and sometimes adversarial powers to help him politically. Trump infamously asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to do him a "favor" by launching a dubious investigation into Biden and his son Hunter in exchange for the release of U.S. military aid that had already been approved …

Tucker Carlson Surprises No One By Parroting New Russian Conspiracy Theory

Russia’s baseless claims about American biological warfare labs in Ukraine have taken root in U.S. right-wing networks in recent weeks. Despite repeated debunking from U.S. officials, Carlson has devoted considerable airtime to promoting the conspiracy theory, appearing to side with the Kremlin over the U.S. government. The Fox News host has repeatedly pushed pro-Russia and …

Vladimir Putin’s latest public rant sounded a lot like Tucker Carlson (R)

While we have become almost desensitized to the way Fox News prime-time host Tucker Carlson has parrotted pro-Kremlin propaganda, it now seems like Russia’s leader is parroting Tucker Carlson. This development comes in the wake of a recent memo from the Russian government, directing the country’s media outlets to promote as many clips of Carlson …

MSNBC’s Ali Velshi Shows Tucker Carlson Being Aired as Russian TV Propaganda — Complete With Hilarious Translation

Carlson’s apparent willful duplicity on this story has been called out by Mediaite’s Michael Luciano in meticulous detail and dismissed by Fox News’ own Jennifer Grifin. https://www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbcs-ali-velshi-shows-tucker-carlson-being-aired-as-russian-tv-propaganda-complete-with-hilarious-translation/ -Mediaite; 3/15/2022