assassination. Under the gun the administration relented and briefed a number of senators but the briefing went disastrously and Mike Lee came out of that briefing and exploded:

GOP Sen. Mike Lee calls Soleimani briefing the "worst" he's ever seen
https://www.axios.com/mike-lee-iran-soleimaning-briefing-58dd778d-1217-4720-b6bb-e30f0830da8d.html

Dust off your books about the last throes of the Third Reich.

This will also explain the behavior of the people closest to him as well as the GOP.

The Nazi party became more dangerous after it was crystal clear the war was lost. And the rest of the total destruction of that country was utterly senseless, but it was on purpose.

but I don't believe a word of it.

Also, if Trump ever spoke to Boris Johnson, the subject had to have come up. There's a probability of zero they didn't speak about this.

You also can't claim Biden is soft on China when you're own candidate pleaded and begged the President of China to help him win re-election, and folded in a fake trade war, giving up everything and receiving nothing in return.

Vanity Fair: “MAKE SURE I WIN”: JOHN BOLTON’S UNREDACTED BOOK SHOWS WHAT TRUMP WAS REALLY TRYING TO HIDE

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/06/boltons-unredacted-book-shows-trump-trying-to-hide

It will be a valuable contribution to the literature on Trump.

Other mental health professionals have already provided tremendous insight, but this book will go a step further. I also want to support Mary Trump's courage in writing this book.

Another motive is to see a book that infuriates Trump become a best-seller a month before it is even released. That was one reason I pre-ordered Woodward's book and several others that Trump tweeted about--to help them become best sellers.

I'm in awe of the Lincoln Project ads.

Something weird I noticed watching that ad a few times. Whenever Trump and Putin are in the frame at the same time my focus flies to Putin. Trump is just scenery. Don't know if it's just me or if others experience it. Trump is so deferential even in his body language, weak and subservient. Weak visually, and in every other way.

A good deal of what you are saying is backed up in Craig Unger's book House of Trump, House of Putin.

One reason Mike Bloomberg was able to get under Trump's skin (and still can, when he's ready) is because he is exactly that guy you are talking about who Trump wanted to be but could never gain acceptance as (except for the Hollywood part). He was rejected by New York's elites, and even by New York's non-elites.

to export oil.

What do we import from Russia? Hit it with prohibitive tariffs.

What others have said: make them financial pariahs. Russian oligarchs should be prohibited from buying real estate in the United States or hiding money in any US banking institution, safe harbor, shell company, etc...

Freeze and seize assets.

No anonymous purchasers of US properties and real estate.

No Russian oligarch/company should be able to buy majority "shares" of a US company. (I'm not sure about the legality of that last one).

Most of all, we need to get their fighter jets out of US airspace. No more provocations! We need to push back against their takeover over the Arctic Circle.

of undeniability that will be hard to dismiss.

You'd think that pulling our troops out of Syria and Trump's flimsy reasoning and lying about oil fields would have been sufficient, but it wasn't, because it was also a favor to Erdogan.

You'd think us allowing Russia to take over the Arctic Circle with no pushback whatsoever would have been enough. But nobody paid any attention.

A lot of us have had this suspicion for a long time, but this story will elevate alarm to a new level. It's simply too hard to rationalize any justification for these actions and behaviors. IMO, there is no explanation other than that Trump is owned by Putin.

The strangest thing of all about this bounty story is that it in no way, shape or form helps Trump get re-elected, so it's far beyond rational self-interest. It's simply grossly immoral and inexplicable...unless he's owned by Putin.

It's going to be hard to prove Trump received favors from Putin, because the "favors" are debt forgiveness and Putin keeping his mouth shut about two decades of money laundering and consorting with oligarchs and organized criminals.

This is why Russia has been getting away with murder and constant provocations that Trump ignores.

"Vladimir, you want the Arctic Circle? It's yours!"