… A blockbuster new story from ProPublica revealed that a Russian oligarch paid over $170,000 for a lavish 3-day wedding celebration in the Bahamas for Donald Trump, Jr., Bettina Anderson, and their friends and relatives.
… Except for daddy Donald Trump, who decided to skip the wedding to pay golf.
… ProPublica: “On May 24, Donald Trump Jr. was celebrating in the Bahamas, as scantily clad dancers in stilettos and sailor caps performed for him and his guests. It was the last night of his wedding, a lavish, 3-day party held across a pair of ultra-exclusive private islands.”
… “A 5-tier funfetti cake had been airlifted in from FL, and helicopters and seaplanes descended on the islands before guests settled into their oceanfront villas. That night on the beach, Trump Jr. lifted his bride into the air while fireworks launched from a barge over the sea. ‘It was everything we dreamed of and more,’ his wife later wrote on Instagram.”
… “That dream was heavily funded by a secret benefactor: Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin. Kremlev footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses. The oligarch paid to rent out one of the private islands, where a reception was held and where guests slept. He also covered other big-ticket items, like the fireworks show, and his team helped plan the event.”
… “Kremlev is the head of the International Boxing Assn, a scandal-plagued sports group that has been financed by the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. The wedding payments came from an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai that the boxing association uses for financial transactions.”
… “The guest list numbered around 50. It included Trump Jr.’s brother-in-law Jared Kushner, Eric Trump - and Kremlev, an imposing man with a shaved head who speaks limited English. The oligarch was part of a large group whose presence puzzled other attendees. They sometimes stood off by themselves, speaking Russian.”
… “Kremlev’s previously unreported relationship with Trump Jr. represents an extraordinary development: a member of Putin’s circle financially supporting the president’s son and gaining intimate access to the Trump family. National security experts expressed alarm at Trump Jr. accepting the oligarch’s largesse, saying it raised an urgent question: What motivated Kremlev to spend a fortune cultivating the connection?”
… Retired FBI senior counterintelligence official Frank Montoya, Jr.: “If I’m paying for your wedding, at some point, you’re going to owe me something. This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story.”
… Journalist Rob Crilly: “Among the details from the ProPublica piece on Don Jr's wedding is the fact that he had treatment to better define his jawline.”
… I can definitely see that as an issue.
… Journalist Anne Applebaum: “Some details: Kremlev, the Russian who sponsored Don Jr’s wedding, is a former member of the Night Wolves biker gang, went to China with Putin and is personally sanctioned by Ukraine for his role in abducting children.”
… As the story blew up on Instagram, self-described “socialite” Bettina Trump took to Instagram to try to defend the Russian-financed wedding:
“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.
It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from. Friendship doesn’t require a political motive. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda. And sometimes a wedding gift is simply a wedding gift.
We are fortunate to have wonderful friends from all over the world, and we will never be embarrassed or apologetic about being grateful for them. So, for anyone determined not to let the facts get in the way of a good story: NO CONSPIRACY , NO MYSTERY. Just a private family wedding, a wonderful weekend with friends and one hell of a party.”
… She’s the perfect wife for Junior. Both seem completely narcissistic, self-absorbed, craving constant attention, fake, greedy and immoral.
… Spokesman for Eric Trump issued this statement: “Eric has absolutely no clue who this person is, nor has he ever heard his name.”
… Steve Witkoff has his good friend Vladimir. Junior and Bettina have their good friend Umar. Jared has his good friend MBS. So many beautiful friendships.
… Meanwhile, Trump was ranting on Air Force One returning from his golf weekend in Ireland about Ukraine bombing Russian refineries, attempting to shift the blame for rising oil and diesel prices onto Zelenskyy:
“The problem I have with Ukraine and Russia is that a lot of the diesel comes from Russia. The Russia plants are being hit by Ukraine. I’ve asked Zelenskyy not to hit the refineries. Diesel is being driven up by the fact that it’s having a hard time coming out of Russia.”
… Then late this morning, Trump posted this claim on Truth Social: “Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise! The World’s Diesel price rise is mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine War, not Iran.”
… But then Zelenskyy made a post that there was no deal yet:
“Ukraine has proposed that its partners secure an agreement with Russia that would stop the destruction of critical infrastructure. Food, energy, and other basics that sustain life must be protected, and Russian strikes are directed primarily against them. Every day, Ukrainian energy facilities, port infrastructure, logistics, and even warehouses storing food and pharmaceuticals are targeted. Ukraine is not convinced that Russia is willing to abide by any agreement.
If our partners are ready to ensure that Russia genuinely refrains from striking our electricity system, other energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and food supply routes, then, of course, we are ready to ensure a corresponding halt to our strikes. The war must be brought to an end. And a de-escalatory step regarding critical infrastructure could be the first step toward peace. We expect specifics from our partners.”
… In other words, Russia has agreed to nothing.
… Centre for Strategic Communication: “Long before Ukraine began systematically destroying Russia’s oil refining capacity, Russia had already done the same to Ukraine.
Only 37 days into the full-scale invasion, on April 2, 2022, Russian missiles targeted the Kremenchuk Oil Refinery, Ukraine’s only fully operational refinery at the time, forcing it to shut down.”
… “Russia repeatedly targeted the facility again in the months that followed. The following day, April 3, Russia announced that its missiles had also targeted the Odesa refinery and three fuel-storage facilities. Russians understood from the beginning that destroying refining and fuel infrastructure was a means to degrade ability to wage war.
Ukraine learned the lesson, and Russia is learning another lesson.”
… AP: “A crucial Saudi oil pipeline that was struck in an attack last week will mostly be out of service for weeks as the damage is repaired, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized more islands dominating key Red Sea shipping routes in new blows to Saudi Arabia’s oil exports. The developments further strain Saudi Arabia’s effort to get its oil to market while avoiding the Strait of Hormuz.”
… “The kingdom relies on the East-West Pipeline, which runs the breadth of the country, to move its crude production from Gulf ports to ports on its western, Red Sea coast. From there it can be put on tankers for export.”
… More from Trump’s press gaggle on AF1:
On his new WH helipad: “Does everyone like it? It’s carved granite. It’s a stone rated 1 million plus years and carved and carved beautifully.”
Asked if he favors Flock cameras: “I sort of like them because of law enforcement. Some people like them because they think they are an infringement. But I like them.”
Q: “Have you ever used AI yourself? Trump: Yeah, I use AI. Q: How do you use AI?
Trump: You can use AI for a lot of things. Q: What do you use AI for? Trump: I don’t want to tell you that.”Q - “You said that Canada is more difficult to deal with than Russia? Trump: Canada is more difficult to deal with. I find Canada to be the worst country to deal with. With that said, they’re dying to make a deal.”
Q - “We recently reported that Chinese entities may have provided Iranians with satellite imagery of the air bases in Jordan. Trump: They basically do what we do. Q - Are you going to raise that with Xi when he visits? Trump: I think he’s behaved reasonably well, and we behaved reasonably well.”
… CNBC: “Crude oil prices popped on Sunday after Saudi Arabia closed its critical pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. West Texas Intermediate futures were up 3.46% to $103.51 per barrel by 4:56 AM ET. Brent crude, the international benchmark, traded 3.51% higher to $108.28 per barrel.”
… “Drones launched from Iraq damaged the East-West pipeline on Thursday, forcing the Saudi govt to close the key crude oil artery. Riyadh has not disclosed how badly the pipeline is damaged or how long it will remain shut. A diplomatic meeting between Iran and the Gulf Arab states to discuss the situation in Hormuz, originally scheduled to take place Monday in Oman, was abruptly postponed after the pipeline attack.”
… But Trump posted for about the 138th time that Iran is begging for a deal again: “The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the USA will choose to engage - The concept of which we are open to.”
… Kobeissi Letter: “We now have:
Large cap tech CEOs unified on regulating AI.
Trump rejecting these tech CEOs' calls.
Fed Chair Warsh expected to HIKE rates in his first time moving interest rates.
Up to 30 million barrels of Middle East oil flows at risk.
US diesel prices up +80% as peak demand season begins.”
… Trump posted: “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the USA has that, in spades! The Trump Admin has stopped AI “people” from doing bad, or potentially bad, “things,“ like Dario (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a “perfect little angel” - and we will continue to do so! There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE!”
… Insanity. Thanks again, Trump voters. Every day you curse us with a brand new dose of corruption, incompetence and stupidity.
… Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) at a campaign rally:
“This week, we were warned again of existential risk to the human species. And what fills us with dread is the crushing weakness of our politics against the massive stakes of our times. Tech titans dig bunkers while warning us the new intelligence they’re creating risks human extinction. Congress debates youth sports, and the president builds a ballroom.
An ancient establishment barely capable of email sleepwalks into a technological revolution while the president dismantles precautions and calls us fools for worrying. On day one, Trump rescinded the AI safety order meant to guard against catastrophic risks, including the engineering of bioweapons.
Meanwhile, Don Junior’s 1789 Capital bought big-money stakes in data centers and AI labs. The Emiratis’ spy chief committed $500 million to the Trump family crypto business, and 4 months later, the Trump admin granted the Emirates the rights to buy our most sensitive AI chips.
See, a capable president would move swiftly to secure and reassure the American people, rush inspectors into frontier labs, fortify the nation against bioterrorism, demand legislation from Congress, and lead the world toward an AI treaty. But President Trump is compromised.”
… Gavin Newsom made a surprise announcement during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper when Tapper brought up that he would not be the only Californian to run for president in 2028 if Kamala Harris runs. Newsom said that 2 strong candidates from CA would lead to “mutually assured destruction” for them because they share the same supporters and donors:
Newsom: “Yeah, I don’t know if she runs, but we’ll see. Tapper: I know she’s called around. Newsom: I wouldn’t run if she ran. Tapper: If she runs, you will not? Newsom: Of course not. Why would I? I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that. Tapper: What do you mean? That doesn’t make sense to me? Newsom: I know what that means. Her base of supporters - her friends. The Zen diagram on that is pure crossover. So I wouldn’t do it.”
I can tell you that my attitude on Trump and MAGA has evolved over the years since 2016. Despite the fact that I was still a Republican until 2020, I never supported or voted for Trump. But in 2016 I still voted Republican except for Trump because I was solely focused on him as the problem.
After that, I started to also focus on and blame the henchmen around him as equally culpable. The whole toxic inner circle of OG MAGA. Then just before 2020 that expanded out to include Republicans in Congress - many of whom I knew despised Trump but decided to go full MAGA. That is what caused me to leave the party and register as a Democrat. They sold their souls, and I lost all respect for them.
But now in recent months I reach the final step of that evolution - I now fully blame Trump voters for the mess we are in. I was always careful not to do that because I realize people can get conned, fooled, duped, etc. and there was always a chance in my mind that education and information might bring many of them around.
But really, there is no excuse for the 3-time Trump voter in 2024. They had all the information they needed to have about who Trump was and what he was all about. I suppose part of my hesitation for including them in assignment of blame was that many of these voters are my family members and friends for many years and I don’t think they are bad people. I think many Americans have this same situation.
With that said, if his first term, the covid debacle, election denials, J6, stolen documents, felony convictions and sex assault judgments don’t disqualify someone on the 3rd time to these fellow Americans, then that is on ten of millions of them who now bear the responsibility for what is happening now. And I haven’t been afraid to say that in recent months. It is on them. They are responsible.
If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.
… Today was the day that Mitch McConnell was supposed to make his triumphant return to the senate after his extended absence, since his vote is needed get the farm bailout bill out of committee. He was not seen anywhere in the senate today.
… DC journalist Desiree Townsend went to McConnell’s home this afternoon to check on his status. While she was outside, Mitch’s driver Felipe arrived with some flowers and headed into the residence. Townsend asked him if Mitch was coming back to work today. She also asked him what the flowers were for. He refused to answer either question.
… She didn’t leave. A home health care worker then arrived. Townsend: “If McConnell
