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Sep 7, 2025 - World

There is arguably no better canary in the coal mine for the death of democracy than a president who seizes for himself the power to wage war.We seem to be headed there.President Donald Trump’s recent — and ongoing — unauthorized military aggression against Venezuela fails to meet even the minimal legal standard for presidential war powers. Trump and his henchmen have largely dispensed with pretexts.Citing no particular provocation, Trump blithely declared Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro America’s latest mortal enemy. That sort of gratuitousness is brought to you with a shrug by corporate media increasingly committed to a mission of stenography.The administration has designated Tren de Aragua a “foreign terrorist organization” — which may well be accurate but does not seem to have come with any provable link to Maduro other than rhetorical. Even if true, nothing in U.S. law permits unilateral military action on that ground alone by a U.S. president.But following the law has always ranked below the bottom of Trump’s “things to do” list in life.Here’s how the United States has apparently begun to launch an illegal war almost overnight, without a millisecond of congressional debate. And with scant attention at best in the news media.The Escalation — One Week, One DirectionAugust 8, 2025 — Trump designates Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization under the 2001 AUMF framework.(AP)Late August — U.S. naval and marine units mobilize in the southern Caribbean under an “anti-cartel” initiative.(The Guardian)September 2 — A U.S. drone strike sinks a speedboat allegedly linked to Tren de Aragua, killing 11. The administration justifies it as a drug interdiction.September 3, 2025 — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounces the U.S. strike as a violation of sovereignty, orders militias to mobilize, and warns that Washington is laying the groundwork for regime change.September 3–4 — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls the strike “just the beginning.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio signals more strikes are being considered.September 5 — Trump orders the Pentagon rebranded as the Department of War in communications and signage. Hegseth becomes “Secretary of War.”September 5–6 — Ten F‑35 stealth fighters are deployed to Puerto Rico. Trump publicly states he’s weighing strikes inside Venezuela.Trump’s posture toward Maduro wasn’t always so hostile. During his first term, he told Axios on June 21, 2020, he was “open to meeting” with Maduro and even called him “very smart.”The timing was just astonishing, especially in today’s context. Trump publicly praised Maduro fewer than three months after his own Department of Justice had issued a press release headlined: “Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 Current and Former Venezuelan Officials Charged with Narco-Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Criminal Charges.”Apparently narco-terrorism didn’t concern Donald the First as much as it seems to concern Donald the Second.Back in 2020, Trump did reverse himself on Twitter, but only after heads exploded among Florida Republicans. Taking issue with fellow strongmen has never ranked as one of Trump’s strengths.Trump has always positioned himself as an isolationist — and his repeated campaign pledges of “no more endless wars” — arguably garnered more votes than most analysts credited. Trump mocked “globalist” entanglements, vowed to bring troops home and end foreign adventurism.That’s all a thing of the past now that Trump openly aspires to become the world’s most dominant dictator.He drools about invading and seizing Greenland. He muses obscenely about annexing Canada, or at the very least, waging a mindless economic war with it and many other close allies. He obsesses about seizing the Panama Canal.His MAGA base has always been animated by extreme nationalism — ethnically and economically grounded — and it’s widely presumed that instinct mutates into isolationism. Even among those whose political philosophies can only be captured in five words or less.It remains to be seen how Trump’s abandonment of isolationism might play out with the base. But never underestimate the power of a cult leader.What’s more, we should not discount similarities to the dicey motives of previous U.S. adventurism — “war for oil” in Iraq springs to mind — especially given that Trump is exponentially more transactional than all previous U.S. presidents combined.On Saturday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller defended Trump’s Venezuela policy by calling the country “so rich in resources, so rich in reserves,” while describing Maduro as “the head of the cartel.” In poker, that’s known as a “tell.”Let’s hope I’m wrong in thinking this Venezuelan adventure is far graver than a few news cycles of an unstable Trump cosplaying as a warlord. But, to me, this one has real potential for disaster.I don’t like the looks of that canary.

Sep 6, 2025 - World

Outside of Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, there is little excitement within the Pentagon and among former defense officials to see the Department of Defense (DOD) renamed as the Department of War (DOW) with worries about cost, confusion and also how other nations will use the change for propaganda purposes.According to a report from Politico, the long-anticipated rebranding landed with a thud on Friday as the president and the controversial Hegseth discussed it in an Oval Office press availability.Trump told reporters, “We won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything before that and in between, and then we decided to go woke, and we changed the name to DOD. So, we’re going Department of War.”That was greeted with “frustration, anger and downright confusion at the effort, which could cost billions of dollars for a cosmetic change that would do little to tackle the military’s most pressing challenges — such as countering a more aggressive alliance of authoritarian nations,” wrote Politico’s Jack Detsch, Paul McLeary and Joe Gould.One former defense official scoffed, “This is purely for domestic political audiences. Not only will this cost millions of dollars, it will have absolutely zero impact on Chinese or Russian calculations. Worse, it will be used by our enemies to portray the United States as warmongering and a threat to international stability.”“I see there being a million small headaches and annoyances if this actually happens. It’ll eat up time and effort,” a current Pentagon official added.Going on the record, former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) cautioned on X, “If we call it the Dept. of War, we’d better equip the military to actually prevent and win wars. Can’t preserve American primacy if we’re unwilling to spend substantially more on our military than Carter or Biden. ‘Peace through strength’ requires investment, not just rebranding.”Politico is reporting, “The seemingly ad hoc rollout of the name change has caused confusion within the building. One Pentagon official, who independently decided to squat on the Department of War LinkedIn page to prevent a foreign adversary or Trump administration critic from taking it over, openly asked on the social network to whom he should hand the page.”Another official pointed out that the Pentagon, during Trump’s second term, has already been dragged into making major changes at Hegseth’s request, when they were forced to scrub any mention of DEI initiatives, explaining, "That was just taking down photos. The seal will have to change and thus anything with it.”The Department of War changes would be significantly more labor-intensive.“On a tactical level, it would mean having to rebrand a mountain of contracting, marketing, business development materials, you name it, both digital and otherwise, that specifically cite the Department of Defense or DOD,” a defense analyst warned.You can read more here.

Sep 5, 2025 - World

The Department of Defense sent letters last week to European countries informing them that it will pull military support for nations near the Russian border, including Ukraine.Reuters reported Friday that Section 333 of the U.S. Code permits the Secretary of Defense to provide training and equipment to foreign security forces for counterterrorism or anti–drug trafficking operations. However, a Lithuanian defense ministry official revealed that Pete Hegseth is moving to rescind this support for some European countries bordering Russia, following the receipt of the Pentagon’s letter.The decision follows President Trump’s declaration of a war on drug trafficking and cartels.Two sources confirmed on Thursday that the U.S. would begin a phase-out of European security assistance, raising concerns, particularly from those in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Fox News' national security correspondent, Jennifer Griffin, posted on X, "Pentagon’s Elbridge Colby begins push to cut US military aid to Eastern European and Baltic countries that border Russia in move that has raised eyebrows among National Security officials in chilling message to Europe and Ukraine: sources tell Fox."One American in Ukraine couldn't help but notice that this announcement comes after Trump refused to sanction Russia. He then posted photos of himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin and praised their "great relationship" during a White House dinner. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, on Thursday, reaffirmed Canada's support for NATO, pledging to continue working with those on the border with Russia to ensure their sovereignty. The Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, along with Ukraine, were once part of the Soviet Union. All three Baltic nations declared independence shortly after the fall of the "Iron Curtain" in 1989. Russian President Vladimir Putin has long sought to restore Russia to its pre-1991 borders, which would include regaining control over the Baltics and Ukraine.Read the full report here.

Sep 5, 2025 - World

Donald Trump is reportedly feeling "shattered" after the leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea "threw him to the curb," according to a former insider.Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani whose conduct on behalf of the first Trump administration was at the heart of the president's impeachment for purportedly abusing his authority to benefit in the election, wrote an article on Friday called, "Another Deadline, Another Illusion: Trump’s Dictator Dreams Collapse" in which he argues, "Trump worships strongmen who mock him."Calling on his experience as a Soviet-born operative sent to Ukraine by Giuliani to "dig up dirt on Biden," Parnas claims that the president is obsessed with dictators such as Putin."Well, here we are again, folks. Another two weeks, another deadline has passed—Donald Trump once more promising to be 'tough on Russia.' He threatened sanctions. He floated secondary tariffs. He postured like a strongman. But in reality, all Donald Trump is worried about right now has nothing to do with holding Putin accountable. It’s about his own obsession—his place in the world of dictators," Parnas wrote before highlighting a recent meeting between leaders of Russia, China, and North Korea. "Because while Ukraine fights for survival and Europe steps forward, Trump sulks. Shattered, shunned, left standing outside the dictators’ club he so desperately wants to join. Putin brushes him off. Modi turns to China. Kim Jong-un toys with him. And the fanboy president is left begging for approval from men who laugh behind his back," Parnas wrote. "Trump has always seen himself as part of the dictators’ club. In his mind, Putin was his friend. Modi was his friend. Kim Jong-un was his friend. He bragged about it endlessly, believing their handshakes and photo ops meant loyalty."But according to the former insider who was later convicted of campaign finance and fraud crimes, "those men never saw him as an equal.""They saw him as a mark. Putin used him and discarded him. Modi shifted toward whoever gave India leverage. And now, with China pulling Moscow and Delhi closer into its orbit, Trump feels it slipping away," he added. "The dictators he idolizes don’t admire him—they mock him. He talks tough about 'negotiating,' but deep down, he’s a fanboy, desperate for their approval. And every time, he’s thrown to the curb."Read the full post here.

Sep 20, 2024 - World

The Brazilian “King of Football” had been treated for colon cancer since 2021.View Entire Post ›