Donald Trump says the Russian sanctions waiver is to help negotiate peace. But one Russian paper today writes: “We will make a deal with Ukraine entirely on our terms.” Another paper: “Russia’s borders, as we know, do not end anywhere.” #ReadingRussia

BREAKING: BETRAYAL! Trump’s Russia sanctions waiver is so DANGEROUS that even the Murdoch media empire is turning against him. When the multi-tentacled right-wing propaganda machine that is the Murdoch family empire is calling you out for cozying up to the condemnable Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, you may have finally gone too far. The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board just unloaded on Donald Trump for waiving tariffs and sanctions on Russia that were enacted in a law that passed the Senate 86-11. That law gave Trump 30 days to impose tariffs of up to 500 percent on Russian imports, plus duties of up to 100 percent on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including China and India. More tariffs? Who could imagine that Trump would ever object to a law that gave him MORE tariff power? Trump, however, signed an executive order two days before the new law took effect, nullifying the punitive tariffs instead. The executive order also suspends sanctions on Russian officials, state bodies, banks, energy companies, and the ships Moscow uses to dodge restrictions. Trump’s only explanation for the move was that he believes that it’s in the “national interests” of the United States. We could think of a few more possible reasons, including keeping Putin happy enough to prevent him from releasing the rumored “kompromat” he has been compiling on the American president for decades, and the potential business deals for Russian natural resources that could enrich Trump and his family immensely. The Journal wasn’t buying Trump’s excuses either. “The opposite is true,” the editorial said. It accused Trump of sticking “a shiv in the back” of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s legacy, and said Trump is now “Mr. Putin’s best friend in the world, after perhaps China’s Xi Jinping.” Reality delivered its own verdict almost immediately. Russia launched one of its largest attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, hitting more than 15 power generation and transmission facilities, just days after Trump announced an “energy ceasefire.” The Journal says Ukraine honored the pause until it was clear Russia hadn’t, yet Trump kept blaming Kyiv. Afterward, Trump said he believed Putin was willing to make a peace deal while questioning whether Zelensky was. Zelensky said the decision “definitely helps only the Russians. It only fuels their satisfaction and their desire to keep killing people.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who helped write the law, said Trump “stands on the side of a bloodthirsty thug & the enablers of Russia’s war machine.” The Journal argued that “Trump wants Ukraine to surrender on Mr. Putin’s terms.” Meanwhile, Trump has sharply cut military aid to Ukraine, and envoy Steve Witkoff has made at least two trips to Moscow in the past year. The Journal said Trump has been “courting Mr. Putin” but “to no avail.” The Journal’s editorial board issued a stark warning for Congress: after the Nov. 3 election, there needs to be “a bipartisan reckoning” over Trump’s “budding alliance with the Kremlin.” We say, why wait? When Fox News’s corporate cousins are demanding accountability, the question becomes how long Republicans in Congress can stay quiet and — even more crucially — can the Trump administration survive without the support of the media behemoth that led to its initial success at the polls. Please like and share to delight in the sight of Trump being abandoned by his media allies!

EXCLUSIVE: Elon Musk came to Donald Trump with the plan to throttle Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet network, sources have told the Telegraph. The tech billionaire made the proposal during the US President’s row with Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil refineries. ‘The reality is that they were both in it,’ a senior source said of Musk’s and Trump’s involvement. But after a night of carnage in Kyiv caused by the slowdown, Musk was alarmed about the possibility of adverse consumer reaction in Europe. The SpaceX boss then proceeded to tweet, blaming the US administration, and ultimately, President Trump for authorising the slowdown. ‘He tweeted out that he was innocent and that it was the US administration that did it,’ the source said.

Reform is now funded by 3 billionaires. Christopher Harborne - a tax exile living tax free in Thailand under their special tax regime Ben Delo - a tax exile living tax free in Hong Kong under their special tax regime Sasan Ghandehari - a tax exile living tax free in Switzerland under their special tax regime The party of the people.

Foreign money funding Reform UK. Another 7m from two overseas British crypto billionaires - £4m from Hong Kong-based billionaire, £3m from Thailand. Tax exiles shaping UK politics. What have they been promised? Must ban political donations. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4p…

We ARE a reasonable and tolerant country. Let's not allow the noisy hateful few convince us we are not. We stand up to bullies and to those seeking to cause division. This makes me proud to be British. It is sad, however, that we need to remind some people of this.