In an attempt to end the war caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump has offered to return Alaska to Russia in exchange for Russia pulling its troops from Eastern Ukraine. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said he would agree to the proposal if Trump also returned Fort Ross and the Russian River in California, Russia sold Fort Ross to Mexican citizen John Sutter in 1841.   read more

When Pope John Paul II visited Damascus in May 2001, Bashar used his welcoming speech to denounce the Jews, saying, “They tried to kill the principles of all religions with the same mentality in which they betrayed Jesus Christ and the same way they tried to betray and kill the Prophet Muhammad.”   read more

As Biden prepares to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who ordered the murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Blinken explained to Biden that other dictators have reached out to the State Department to find out if they too can be excused if they murder and dismember their opponents. “What’s good for our Arab allies should be good for our allies in other parts of the world,” Biden is alleged to have told Blinken.   read more

Final Results Emmanuel Macron: 18,779,812 Abstentions: 13,655,960 Marine Le Pen: 13,297,719 Blancs and Nuls: 3,018,999   read more

I have attended 19 Olympics, Summer and Winter, usually as a radio or television commentator. The last one I missed was the Calgary Winter Games in 1988. I was granted access to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, but I will not be going. I am not going because I do not feel comfortable with the intrusive “surveillance bubble” imposed on visitors by the Chinese government.   read more