I reckon Paramount buys WB and CNN gets included in the deal. And then under pressure from Trump, all the journalists that Trump doesn’t like at CNN get fired.

I also reckon that 2026 is going to make 2025 look like a walk in the park. Trump is just warming up. No one is stopping him, and he feels he can do whatever he wants.

“In one of the most pathetic and humiliating moments in history, Trump just received a FIFA Peace Prize. They literally invented a “peace prize” to keep him happy after he didn’t receive the actual Nobel Peace Prize. Beyond parody.

At no point during the five-year span that Monty Python’s Flying Circus aired on the BBC, from October 1969 to December 1974, could the greatest comedic minds of their time come up with a skit more grotesquely absurd than Trump placing a fake peace-prize medal over his own head.”

“When my brother was 3, I used to give him an Xbox controller that wasn’t plugged in – but looked like it was – so he could pretend to play. FIFA doing the same thing to the president is wild.”

“Can’t wait for the FIFA Prize for Literature.”

The joke is still all on us because this maniac is not going anywhere soon.

That former Honduran president who was extradited, tried and convicted in the US for aiding drug traffickers receives a pardon from Trump and at the same time the US is blowing up boats by Venezuela that are said to be drug traffickers. It doesn’t add up. And just now Netanyahu will get a pardon, well, because Trump has normalized this.

So many people say “follow the money”. Trump is all about money and he and his greedy family are all in. There is now friction with Nigeria, and, well, they have oil. Venezuela is the oil motherload. And as for Russia and their war in Ukraine, well, Trump and his family are clearly doing everything they can to help Russia, and they think (stupidly) there is a lot of money to be made. All of this while Ukraine, who are the victims here, are told to accept this nonsense peace plan, and that’s it. Where is the morality in the world … ???

The war in Ukraine is the biggest threat to Europe since the EU’s creation. Lagarde and Belgium have their heads in the sand. If only Belgium’s PM and the rest of Europe’s leaders defended Ukraine’s children with as much conviction as they defend Russia’s frozen assets. And then there is Trump, who blames President Biden, not Vladimir Putin, for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

From what I can see Europe is pretty much doing business as usual with Russia. The fact that almost wherever you go in the world there are Russians on holiday means that all of these sanction and restrictions are window dressing. If Russia does attack the Baltic countries then the only country they will be able to count on is Ukraine. Yup, we can forget about America as Trump is insane. The US plans to return Russia’s frozen assets once a peace agreement is signed and this makes no sense. Here is Trump’s plan: Russia destroys Ukraine, Europe has to pay for the reconstruction, and Trump and his family/friends does business with the Russians.

It seems some Europeans are afraid of the wrong thing. “Russia goes nuclear” is not the worst-case scenario. Russian occupation is. This is 10 times scarier than a nuclear bomb.

The current nonsense negotiations are designed to prevent stronger actions against Russia with the excuse that such measures could hurt the so-called peace plan. Senator Graham’s sanctions bill goes nowhere, weapons aren’t sent, and Europe has another excuse to talk instead of act.

There was never any intention from Russia to settle this war. Russia’s entire aim is to derail the oil sanctions that had been tee’d up and also, to mess up the EU plan to transfer the Russian frozen assets to Ukraine. As a result of these so called “peace negotiations” both of these serious consequences have been kicked into the long grass. Putin is happy and Trump will say “we can’t impose sanctions on Russia while we’re trying to get peace”. And he will lean heavily on the EU to not confiscate the frozen assets so they don’t “derail these productive negotiations”. For anyone who understands what Russia cares about, this whole thing is so obvious. America and the West got played by Putin. And, sadly, the Russian terrorism against innocent Ukrainians will continue.

If Europe gives back the Russian frozen assets, it will be pretty ironic when Russia uses that money to rebuild its military and attack Europe.

Ukraine also has the corruption issue that is not helping. And it is getting way too much airtime, thanks to Russian propaganda. Yes, it is not a good thing, and Zelensky is feeling the heat, but the real issue is still Russian aggression. The war is the way bigger problem.

I can’t see Ukraine giving in to these insane and unfair demands that Trump and his merry men are driving. I can’t see the war ending any time soon. It is one big tragedy and evil is on the rise. Trump and Putin are disgusting, and if they both left this world I think everyone I know would celebrate.

I will bet he gets off. This is the new normal thanks to the Trumpster.

Fareed is spot on. Trump has normalized this. God knows when this madness will end. Seems it won’t. Greed is the reason.

I read a good piece of writing on LinkedIn recently. I am cutting and pasting it here.

The paradox of Putin’s Russia isn’t that it fears the West, it thrives off it. London, Paris, Zurich, cities criticised as ‘decadent’ are where Russia’s elite send their money, educate their children, and secure their futures.

Russia’s influence in the West isn’t hidden; it’s quieter, more intentional. Since 2016, individuals linked to the Kremlin or state corruption have funneled over £1.5 billion into UK real estate, turning parts of Westminster and Kensington into safety deposit boxes in white stone. Eaton Square is nicknamed ‘Red Square’.

London has always attracted global wealth from Americans, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Ukrainian investors alike. That isn’t new. But there’s a difference between those seeking stability and those who insulate themselves from systems they exploit. Russia’s elite do both: denouncing the West in public while relying on it in private.

The reach goes further. Over the last five years, British universities have accepted millions from Russian donors. The same names appear on think-tank boards and cultural foundations. The influence is rarely overt, it seeps in through proximity and prestige, not policy.

Online, the strategies are just as calculated. Narratives spread across social media, questioning Ukraine’s integrity or Western support, not to persuade but to create doubt and weaken conviction. Support for Ukraine remains strong, but domestic fatigue is growing and distraction is part of the strategy.

Then there’s the hypocrisy. The loudest critics of Western ‘decadence’ quietly build lives within it. Lavrov’s stepdaughter bought a £4.4 million Kensington flat at 21. Before Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, thousands of Russian children, many from elite families, attended Britain’s best schools. They seek ‘the rule of law in London’ that they deny at home, the same rule of law Ukraine is fighting to retain.

Consider Vladimir Solovyov, who calls for nuclear strikes on Ukraine while owning a villa on Lake Como. When sanctions took it from him, he decried Europe’s ‘persecution’, discovering his newfound respect for Western rights only when his wealth was threatened.

This reveals more than corruption, it reflects a deeper issue. The systems defining democratic societies, our markets, institutions, and freedoms, can be exploited. We’ve long valued openness. Moscow sees it as leverage.

Ukraine is fighting for its freedom and its liberty. Its struggle shows how easily comfort can dull vigilance, and how disinformation can slowly erode resolve.

So the question isn’t just how to counter Russian influence but how to restore confidence in the values that justify resisting it. When power mocks freedom yet shelters under it, the problem lies not only in their cynicism but in our complacency.

Then there is this piece I read in the Kyiv Independent also recently about a specific column on Ukraine by Roger Boyes, diplomatic editor of The Times of London, entitled, rather undiplomatically, “I hate to say it, but Kyiv won’t last till spring.” The KI journalist was spot when she said that this is cruel and irresponsible, knowing one is speaking about the lives of several millions of people living in Kyiv. “Perhaps it was the questionable professionalism of the author, who seemed not to have a very good grasp on events, judging from his arguments.”

The Times journalist went on, “…the critical question facing the West: is there anything worth fighting for?” The KI journalist further wrote, “I won’t judge the immorality of this open-ended question, but I will judge its inexcusable short-sightedness. If an educated British man, who presumably isn’t an idiot and isn’t paid by Russia, doesn’t see the point of fighting against Russian aggression, it means he’s taking his freedoms for granted. Fortunately, many of his compatriots don’t.”

www.kyivofmine.com

I thought that this perspective from Fareed Zakaria was spot on. Highly articulate and well thought out. I liked the metaphors he draws upon to tell this story. This is worth listening to more than once.

How will trust be restored? I can’t see this happening, unfortunately. And for those who know me, I am an optimistic person who believes in magic.

This is not only a problem in America but in so many democracies around the world. We can cast some of the blame towards social media, but whatever the reason, I put it down to one thing: GREED.

What could be a catalyst for trust to start being restored? I can’t picture this. And I have a healthy imagination. While Trump and his pals are stealing left, right and center, I can only see trust diminishing.

Greed is the biggest disease in the world today. And it is all around us. I don’t have to look much further than my own circle to witness greed. A very sad story when I sit here and think about it.

In 2018 we experienced the UEFA Champions League final. Ten of thousands of people came to Ukraine’s capital and with my limited sports knowledge I reckon most of them were Liverpool supporters. Sorry Liverpool lost. There would have been a big party that night, but alas, a lot of sad soccer fans went to bed early.

The atmosphere those few days leading up to the final that weekend was just incredible. No one in Kyiv ever experienced anything like this, and all the people who came to visit were blown away. They all experienced the magic that Kyiv has in abundance.

The final between Liverpool and Real Madrid took place at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium which was built in 1923 and it has been renovated three times, most recently in 2011 in preparation for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. I was at the game – it was quite a thing.

I miss Kyiv. I dream of going back. To be at our home, and to live the magical life we once did. I know everything has changed since the Russian war started. But I know one day we will return. Ukraine will not be taken over by Russia. I do not believe that. I also know that there is a lot more pain still to come. Russia will not stop unless they are stopped. And right now, I don’t see the Western leaders doing nearly enough to stop this evil.

“There’s only one thing the West fears more than the fall of Kyiv. And this is the fall of Putin.”

If you want to learn more about Kyiv then watch Kyiv of Mine – you will be inspired. I am confident of that.