White House Dossier's

US Military: Overseas and under the poverty line . . . For thousands of U.S. military families, an overseas assignment means living on the edge of poverty. In Europe, nearly 7,000 U.S. service members or their spouses or children were in danger in the past year of not having enough to eat, Defense Department data show. Those military families qualified for a low-income program designed to ensure that pregnant women, babies and toddlers don’t go hungry. The reason for that hardship after being sent to Europe is rooted in a loss of income resulting from U.S. and NATO country prohibitions that keep military spouses from working overseas, program administrators say. But the harm to military families doesn’t end there. The rules have created a pipeline of highly skilled, cheap — and in many cases free — labor exploited by military hospitals and other base organizations, a yearlong Stars and Stripes investigation shows. For example, military spouses who are nurses, physical therapists or other medical professionals told Stars and Stripes they were encouraged to give as much as 40 hours a week to the American Red Cross or other organizations in the hope that doing so could lead to an eventual paid position. Stars & Stripes

Hunter Biden business dealings 'likely' tied to US posture toward Ukraine: Ramaswamy . . . Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy suggested Saturday that the United States' involvement in the war in Ukraine is "likely" tied to allegations that President Joe Biden's son received bribes from overseas energy firm Burisma.

“The purpose of the U.S. military [is] to advance American interests, to protect the homeland. Not to aimlessly fight some random war that’s arguably a repayment for a private bribe that a family member of the United States received, $5 million from Burisma,” Ramaswamy said during a campaign event in front of around 60 Iowans in Council Bluffs. Washington Examiner

Ya'think?

Silk Road Paved with Cash: Court records confirm millions flowed to Biden family from China . . . In the end, there really was a silk road of money that flowed from China to the Biden family's coffers, despite Joe Biden's insistence to the contrary. The U.S. Attorney's office in Delaware — which charged  Hunter Biden with tax and gun crimes last month — released to a federal court last week a now-scuttled plea deal that affirmed the presidential son got millions himself from Chinese sources in 2017-18 alone. That included money from a Chinese energy firm as well as legal payments from a Chinese executive convicted of bribery. The records confirm reporting from investigative author Peter Schweizer's book "Red Handed," Just the News stories and investigations by Congress that date to 2020 when Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed bank transfers from Beijing to Biden accounts. Just the News

t’s DOJ vs. DOJ in the 2024 Election . . . What will voters take to the polls? Its collusion-hoax findings, or the accusations against Trump? The odds are not small that Donald Trump could be the next president of the United States. Joe Biden has made it clear to all concerned he wants Mr. Trump to be his GOP opponent. So far, the indictments have only strengthened Mr. Trump. They make it hard, apparently, for any GOPer effectively to challenge him. You’re a career employee in Joe Biden’s Justice Department, serving as U.S. attorney for his home state, a job you wouldn’t have if not sponsored by the state’s two Democratic senators, both lifelong Joe allies. Are you going to throw the book at his son Hunter? Of course not. The answer could not be otherwise. After all, more worrisome to the public even than evidence of favoritism would be an inkling that Mr. Biden’s DOJ was going out of its way to undermine its own president. You’re in the unique position of a Justice Department special counsel, given unlimited resources to investigate a single person, the president’s political enemy, Donald Trump. Do you play it conservatively despite knowing that any indictment today would be more politically useful to your president than a conviction after the election? Wall Street Journal

FBI wrecked its reputation. Fixing it requires these essential things . . . Opinion. The FBI is not the revered institution it once was. I was an FBI special agent for more than 12 years and considered it a calling until I walked away at the end of last year. Unfortunately, the FBI changed significantly as it became politically and socially weaponized. I joined the FBI to fight crime but over time found myself being bombarded with partisan politics and social movements swirling around me which I wanted no part of. I realized under the current leadership that no one was going to stop the FBI from continuing on this trajectory, and I lacked faith things would improve. As I watched FBI Director Christopher Wray’s July 12 testimony before Congress, it reconfirmed my decision to leave the career I once loved. He entirely glossed over the glaringly detrimental mistakes of some within the FBI that have damaged the reputation of the entire organization. Fox News

Ron DeSantis acknowledges Trump’s 2020 election defeat: ‘Of course he lost’ . . . Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) dismissed former President Donald Trump's claim that he won the 2020 presidential election. DeSantis has avoided giving a clear answer on the 2020 election fraud claims regarding whether his top GOP opponent lost the last presidential election since he launched his campaign earlier this year. However, when pressed about whether Trump won in 2020, the Florida governor gave a clear answer. "No, of course he lost," DeSantis said in a Sunday interview with NBC News. "Joe Biden's the president." Washington Examiner

Liberal media bends over backward to dismiss new Joe Biden revelations . . . The president of the United States denies that he ever had anything to do with his son’s efforts to sell access to him. The denials crumble, one after one, bringing the story ever closer to home. Multiple members of the president’s family receive millions from shady foreign interests through shell entities. Multiple figures in the story have been convicted of crimes — including official bribery conducted through family businesses of foreign leaders. The influence-peddling saga covers America’s number one enemy (China) and the country the president is now backing with tens of billions of taxpayer dollars (Ukraine) — the very place where his predecessor got impeached for digging into what he’d been doing there. New York Post

Even lies are protected speech: New Trump indictment bulldozes the First Amendment . . . The latest federal indictment of former President Donald Trump was handed down this week with all of the authority of papal infallibility. Pundits lined up to proclaim that case as the greatest prosecution in history. Former Obama administration acting Solicitor General Neil Katyal even declared that the indictment touched off “the biggest legal case in our lifetimes, perhaps almost ever. It’s up there with cases like Dred Scott, it is up there with Brown v. Board of Education.” What was missing was any serious consideration of the implications of allowing the government to criminalize false statements in a campaign. The Hill

Trump lawyer John Lauro says Pence will be 'one of our best witnesses at trial' . . . An attorney for former President Donald Trump said former Vice President Mike Pence will be "one of our best witnesses at trial," noting that the former ally to Trump could be key to acquitting the former president of four federal crimes related to alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election. It comes after Pence said that while he has no plans to testify against Trump, he will if the law requires it. John Lauro, an attorney for Trump, said he had read a book written by Pence and that should the former vice president testify in a manner that is consistent with his book, then Trump will be acquitted for several reasons, which he listed during an appearance on ABC's This Week. Washington Examiner

Russia and China Sent Large Naval Patrol Near Alaska . . . A combined Russian and Chinese naval force patrolled near the coast of Alaska last week in what U.S. experts said appeared to be the largest such flotilla to approach American shores. Eleven Russian and Chinese ships steamed close to the Aleutian Islands, according to U.S. officials. The ships, which never entered U.S. territorial waters and have since left, were shadowed by four U.S. destroyers and P-8 Poseidon aircraft. A spokesman for the U.S. Northern Command confirmed that Russia and China had carried out a combined naval patrol near Alaska, but didn’t specify the number of ships or their precise location. “Air and maritime assets under our commands conducted operations to assure the defense of the United States and Canada. The patrol remained in international waters and was not considered a threat,” the command said. Wall Street Journal

Yeah, it's not a threat. Until Putin and Xi join forces to challenge the US in a two-heater war that Pentagon doesn't even have munitions to fight because it gifted them to Zelenskiy.

Congress Should Fund the Nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile . . . The House and Senate appropriations committees have not provided adequate funding for the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N). This is a mistake. The United States needs this capability to deter Russia, China, and North Korea, and to assure its allies. As negotiations continue in the coming months over a final 2024 spending package, Congress has one more chance to fully fund the SLCM-N to ensure that the United States can continue to extend deterrence to its allies and partners. Debate continues for the second year on the value of deploying nuclear-armed cruise missiles on U.S. attack submarines, which would help address an imbalance in nuclear forces with ranges and yields relevant to potential use at the regional level. Russia, China, and North Korea field large and growing arsenals of this kind. Recommended by the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review of then President Donald Trump and subsequently canceled by the Biden administration, the SLCM-N program has received nominal funding from Congress to keep the program alive until the matter can be sorted out. Real Clear Defense

If Biden didn't cancel Trump's program, it's quite possible that Putin may not have invaded Ukraine. I explain in my piece below why Putin was terrified of Trump.

There Is Only One U.S. Leader Putin Actually Fears

Africa War Fears Grow As Niger Prepares Troops for Ecowas Invasion . . . Coup leaders in Niger have closed the country's airspace and have brought in reinforcements after the West African group of countries, Ecowas, warned it could use force if President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstated. Bazoum was detained on July 26, and Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, commander of the presidential guard, proclaimed himself the new leader, sparking condemnation from leaders from Africa, France, the European Union and the United States. The former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, James Stavridis, has warned the crisis could potentially lead to a "full-blown war in Africa." Newsweek

Russia mounts a massive missile and drone attack against Ukraine following its retaliation promise . . . Moscow unleashed a massive missile and drone barrage on western Ukraine Sunday, following through on its promise to retaliate for a Ukrainian attack on a Russian tanker. Russian and Ukrainian shelling across the country overnight killed in at least six people, officials said. Separately, Moscow’s second-largest airport briefly suspended flights early Sunday following a foiled drone attack near the Russian capital. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 70 attack drones and missiles, including cruise missiles from aircraft over the Caspian Sea and Iranian-made, Shahed-136/131 strike UAVs. Politico

Money

Oil dips after sustained rally bolstered by supply cuts . . . Oil prices edged lower following a protracted rally, but retained support from pledges by top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia to extend supply cuts through September. Both global benchmarks notched up their sixth consecutive weekly gains last week. On Monday, Brent crude futures slipped 63 cents to $85.61 a barrel by 1217 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $82.17 a barrel, down 65 cents. WTI dipped by $1 earlier in the session. CNBC

Buckle Up for Another Round of Inflation Data . . . Stock and bond markets have become far more sensitive to inflation data, reflecting the difficulty investors have had trying to navigate the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate intentions. Treasury yields and stock futures have had larger-than-normal reactions over the past year to inflation data that differs from forecasts, according to Spencer Hill, senior U.S. economist at Goldman Sachs. Wall Street Journal

The West Sanctioned Russia’s Billionaires. Now They Are Fighting Back . . . Russia’s business elite was sanctioned to pressure Putin, but war in Ukraine continues. Over a year ago the West launched a new foreign-policy weapon to pressure the Kremlin to halt its war in Ukraine: It sanctioned more than a hundred leading Russian businessmen and their families, hoping that they would prod Russian President Vladimir Putin to give up his expansionist plans.

So far the strategy hasn’t worked. The war still rages and very few Russian billionaires have publicly denounced Putin or sold off their Russian assets. Meanwhile, a handful of deep-pocketed oligarchs are pushing back, intensifying their legal challenges in U.K. and European Union courts in a long-shot attempt to remove restrictions that include travel bans and asset freezes. The legal battles will prove a test of whether Russian businessmen can use the West’s attachment to the rule of law to undermine its own foreign-policy aims. It will also lay bare their key criticism of the sanctions; that many of those targeted have no sway over Putin and the sanctions, far from applying pressure on the Russian president, may be pushing disaffected Westernized oligarchs back into his arms. Wall Street Journal

Weaponization of US dollar by the Washington Establishment "experts" is precisely the reason why the de-dollarization is the top item on the BRICS agenda when they meet in South Africa later this month.

De-dollarisation: shifting power between the US and BRICS . . . 
Will a new global reserve currency threaten the greenback’s supremacy? The short answer is yes. Lowy Institute

Culture

The Remaking of America . . . We are in the midst of one of the most radical revolutions in American history. It is as far-reaching and dangerous as the turbulent years of the 1850s and 1860s or the 1930s. Every aspect of American life and culture is under assault, including the very processes by which we govern ourselves, and the manner in which we live.

The Revolution began under the Obama administration that sought to divide Americans into oppressed and oppressors, and then substitute race for class victimization. It was empowered by the bicoastal wealth accrued from globalization, and honed during the COVID lockdown, quarantine-fed economic downturn, and the George Floyd riots and their aftermath. The Revolution was boosted by fanatic opposition to the presidency of Donald Trump. And the result is an America that is unrecognizable from what it was a mere decade ago.

Here are 10 upheavals that the Left has successfully wrought.

Free expression. In large swatches of American society—particularly the corporation, the media, the government, the public schools, and the university—it is suddenly dangerous to speak freely. American Greatness

Pro-Life Speakers Have First Amendment Rights Too . . . Imagine being arrested, prosecuted, and thrown in prison for having a peaceful conversation on a public sidewalk in a free country. Most Americans probably don't think that could happen in their country, let alone their own neighborhood. Unfortunately, that's a real possibility for life-affirming speakers in Westchester County, New York. Newsweek

Now, I can imagine just about anything. Like the Soviet KGB, the Deep State in America, which includes the entire US security apparatus has virtually unlimited power. And it has been eagerly deploying that power to destroy individuals who dare to challenge it.

This Group Of Self-Described Socialists Is Growing In Numbers And Pushing Local Democrats To The Left  . . . The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is gaining steam in recent years and has been pushing the Democratic Party to the left, particularly in deep blue cities, advocating for policies that even moderate Democrats disagree with. Democratic Socialists make up the left flank of the Democratic Party, supporting abolishing prisons, aggressive climate policies, rent controls and radical racial equity policies, according to the Democratic Socialist website. They’ve been aggressively adding to their membership over the past few years, as well as gaining ground in key deep blue cities such as New York City, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, calling for radical policy changes and opposing mainstream Democrats. Daily Caller

I've never been so frightened about what's to come in my adopted homeland. Unlike my Mom who, since my childhood, had urged me to flee the USSR to America, I cannot tell my children to run away. It's not like there's another America somewhere out there in the world, that hasn't yet been corrupted by the leftists.

Are we witnessing self-created or intentional abuse of our elderly politicians? . . . At what point should human decency and compassion trump the political and ideological needs of those in power? Last week, 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) appeared confused and had to be coached to vote “aye” during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the $831 billion Defense Appropriations bill. Feinstein had started reading a statement instead of voting. “Say aye,” Washington Sen. Patty Murray instructed the suddenly silent Feinstein. Murray then repeated herself three times before an aide came to Feinstein’s side and whispered into her ear.“Yeah,” Murray stressed again. “Just say ‘aye.”’ The Hill

Transgender CIA “girl” who called for a American citizen’s death is now an official spokesman for Ukraine military . . . Ukraine has selected a U.S. transvestite to be a military spokesperson. In a curious move, this cross-dressing man wasted no time in calling for the death of Gonzalo Lira, a man who openly expresses his opinion on the ongoing war from Kharkiv, Ukraine — a course of action that deeply threatens the Regime. Western media is also criticizing Gonzalo, labeling him “pro-Russian” and “red-pilled.” Lira, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Chile, had been living in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv where he’d become a controversial online personality by spreading misinformation that attempted to justify Putin’s armed invasion of Ukraine. On May 1, members of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) arrested Lira at his home, citing article 436-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which pertains to wartime propaganda. News of the arrest was announced Friday by the SBU, and Lira now faces five to eight years behind bars, with an investigation still ongoing. Revolver News

Most Americans don’t want Congress to approve more aid for Ukraine war . . . The majority of Americans polled do not want to supply more U.S. aid for the war in Ukraine, according to a new survey by CNN/SSRS. According to the data, 55 percent of Americans do not think Congress “should authorize additional funding to support Ukraine in the war with Russia,” while 45 percent said Congress should approve more. Another 51 percent say the U.S. has “done enough” to “stop Russian actions in Ukraine,” while 48 said Washington has not done enough. Responsible Statecraft

The Era of Ultracheap Stuff Is Under Threat . . .  Factories across Asia are struggling to attract young workers, which is bad news for Western consumers accustomed to inexpensive goods. “There’s nowhere left on the planet that’s going to be able to give you what you want,” said Paul Norriss, the British co-founder of the Vietnam garment factory, UnAvailable, based in Ho Chi Minh City. “People are going to have to change their consumer habits, and so are brands.”

Workers in their 20s—the garment industry’s traditional labor force—routinely drop out of his company’s training program, Norriss said. 

“Everybody wants to be an Instagrammer or a photographer or a stylist or work at a coffee shop,” he said. Wall Street Journal

FBI Sends In Heavily Armed Tactical Team To Unscrew Incandescent Light Bulb . . .  In an extraordinary display of efficiency and ruthlessness, the FBI's crack tactical team descended upon a sleepy suburban neighborhood after receiving reports of an active incandescent light bulb. A deafening sound of helicopters filled the air as the FBI's Tactical Light Bulb Unit (TLBU) descended upon the home of Mark Johnson and his family. The elite team, clad in full tactical gear, executed a precision landing on the Johnsons' roof, then rappelled down and smashed their way through every window of the house. Neighbors watched in bewilderment as Special Agent Lark, leader of the TLBU, commanded his highly trained team to secure the perimeter. "This is a Code Edison! I repeat, a Code Edison! We have an incandescent situation here!" he shouted into his radio. "If met with the slightest resistance shoot first and ask questions later, men. The stakes are too high!" Babylon Bee

Mark Zuckerberg says he’s 'ready today' for fight against Elon Musk: ‘Not holding my breath’ . . . Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Sunday said he was "ready today" for a fight against X CEO Elon Musk. "I’m ready today. I suggested Aug. 26 when [Musk] first challenged, but he hasn’t confirmed," Zuckerberg wrote in a post on Threads. "Not holding my breath. The comment came in response to a post from Musk, who wrote earlier on X that he was "lifting weights" throughout the day in preparation for his potential fight with Zuckerberg. "Don’t have time to work out, so I just bring them to work," Musk said. Fox Business

Forget Connor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov. THIS will be the epic fight. Can't wait! Who are you routing for?