Parroting Putin. Telling lies about allies. Blaming democracies for invasions by murderous dictatorships. Dumping global aid and efforts at building soft power. The world order being (perhaps irrevocably) altered by a guy with his own mug shot framed on the Oval Office wall. History can change in the blink of an eye and it may have just done so. Anne Applebaum in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The End of the Postwar World. "For eight decades, America’s alliances with other democracies have been the bedrock of American foreign policy, trade policy, and cultural influence. American investments in allies’ security helped keep the peace in formerly unstable parts of the world, allowing democratic societies from Germany to Japan to prosper, by preventing predatory autocracies from destroying them. We prospered too. Thanks to its allies, the U.S. obtained unprecedented political and economic influence in Europe and Asia, and unprecedented power everywhere else. The Trump administration is now bringing the post–World War II era to an end." And this: "Perhaps we might also someday find out who or what, exactly, changed his mind, why he chose to follow a policy that seems designed to encourage not just Russia but Russia’s allies in China, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Cuba, and Venezuela. But now is not the moment to speculate, or to imagine alternate storylines. Now is the moment to recognize the scale of the seismic change unfolding, and to find new ways to live in the world that a very different kind of America is beginning to create." 2Kash is King"'I cannot imagine a worse choice,' Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told colleagues before the 51-49 vote by the GOP-controlled Senate. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the lone Republican holdouts." We are in the age of the worst being first. The folks not standing up for the world order aren't going to stand up for the domestic rule of law either. Hence, Trump loyalist Kash Patel is confirmed as FBI director. 3Self(ie) Incrimination"They ditched the cars as needed, along with the burner phones they used to coordinate with one another. They would hide in woods while monitoring the patterns of security guards, then break into the homes of wealthy athletes by breaking small windows or prying open sliding doors before converting jewel-encrusted watches, designer bags, gold chains and rings into cash, using loot launderers far from their victims. Their booty had an estimated value of about $3 million, taken from some of America's best-known athletes." So what ended the away game crime spree that targeted people like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow? It's 2025. So the answer may not surprise you. FBI: Selfies helped nab gang allegedly targeting pro athletes. 4For Prime Eyes OnlyIn the grand the scheme of today's news, with the White House being occupied by a Golden I, for whom The World is Not Enough, our government agencies being hit with a Thunderball, our international posture toward allies turning into Live and Let Day, leaving many of them to Never Say Never Again, our talking points coming From Russia with Love, and a bunch of Octopussies from DOGE gaining access to personal data that used to be For Your Eyes Only and being given Licence to Killany program, the fate of the 007 franchise hardly seems like Skyfalling news. But the new controller of the James Bond market is indicative a broader trend. A very few mega-companies owning everything. WSJ (Gift Article): Amazon MGM Studios Gains Creative Control of James Bond Franchise From Broccoli Family. (They'll probably want to acquire me next. After all, I'm the Man with the Golden Pun.) 5Extra, ExtraScratching a Mitch: "Sen. Mitch McConnell has announced he will not seek reelection next year, ending a 40-year career in Congress that saw the Kentucky Republican serve as the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history." Perhaps no person is more responsible for GOP power than McConnell. And yet, he's way too moderate for the group he enabled. 6Bottom of the News"The German sandal maker had sought a ruling that its footwear, known for its cork and latex soles, could be classified as art and thus afforded strong copyright protections. The company, whose sandals have over the years transformed from unglamorous footwear to coveted fashion items, wanted to stop three of its competitors from selling similar products." Birkenstocks are not works of art, top German court rules in copyright case.
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