Latest / International Flavor: Where the Truth Tastes Better / From Mask Karens to Ukrainian Cauldrons: Government Overreach, Nepotism, Sanctions, and the Fight Over Russia’s Assets and War

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From Mask Karens to Ukrainian Cauldrons: Government Overreach, Nepotism, Sanctions, and the Fight Over Russia’s Assets and War · International Flavor: Where the Truth Tastes Better

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  Interrupt this incredibly awesome music to bring you some incredibly awesome political talk on damn radio
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  Hello, good morning. Welcome. I am Samuel trap. This is
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  International flavor you are listening to damn radio
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  Coming to you live today from the Lake Ozark real estate of the art studio
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  Feel free to call in should you feel the desire?
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  Five seven three seven four six eight zero two zero is the number that I might answer and then again, I might not
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  That's just the way it happens. Sometimes. Sometimes I feel like babbling
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  You ever hear of Babylon?
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  Mm-hmm. Sometimes Sam likes to babble on
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  Get it. Was that you know, what do you call it play on words a a word game as it were at any rate
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  We're gonna we're gonna do some chatting this morning. There was a rather interesting death day yesterday. I enjoyed it. I
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  Detest what they call government overreach drives me crazy
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  Most of you know my history
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  Since I'm a historic fellow
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  I've made some history that's for damn sure
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  certainly in the state of Missouri and all the way to the United States Supreme Court with the BS of
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  Government overreach, let's call it government overreach is just a a theme these days and
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  the government just
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  loves
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  to do more than they
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  are allowed or required and there's
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  Seems to be something and I've complained about this from my very first days in the army when I was a young
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  I don't know 20 ish guy
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  From the very beginning you'd see and I never did understand it the people who are so proud of their
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  Achievement as it were of
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  Obtaining a position in the government that where they get to tell people what to do that. They just can't help
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  Telling people what to do in every sphere of life and it doesn't matter what you think doesn't matter what you desire
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  It doesn't matter anything all that matters
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  is that person being able to take authority over something and it just seems
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  To be more than prevalent in the service of government now
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  I honor people who create something who you remember the Obama years when
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  You didn't build that I built that okay. Here's a guy telling you what all you know. He's gonna do for you
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  Things right he built that for you
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  He is the founder of the feast the government is not the founder of the feast
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  at least it shouldn't be and
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  but
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  there's there's a
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  class an entire class of people that just
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  Think
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  that that government is the answer to
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  Everything and they want to tell you too. I mean you go from from the basics of of
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  Kovac okay here. Here's a story in Kovac. So in Columbia
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  Okay, I don't mean to pick on Columbia, but it always just seemed like in Columbia
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  You could always run into these folks right and so during Kovac. I traveled around
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  I was doing some things traveling around a little bit
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  it
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  And and I didn't I was not a masker
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  I've been and I didn't tell other people what to do never did it. You know I'm not that that type of guy
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  I don't tell you what to do. I do what I'm gonna
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  Do I'd preferred if you don't tell me what I'm gonna do and so I'm up in
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  Columbia some some
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  Decent grocery store whether there's a Hy-vee or schnooks or something like that
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  I don't remember, but I'm in a I'm in a decent grocery store
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  I'm at the meat counter. You know I want to buy some I'm gonna have some steaks cut and
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  Going to get some steaks, and I'm standing there in line
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  My wife and I are speaking Russian at the time
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  Not wearing masks just speaking Russian about about something. You know going on
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  I remember what we were talking about some woman comes wandering up, and she's a she's
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  They call them on the internet Kathy's right
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  This is a some some Kathy gets to whether it's your HOA Kathy whether it's your government Kathy
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  You know it's somebody who's they're in charge and boy
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  they're gonna tell you what you're gonna do and she comes walking up and real meek and
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  Comes walking up touches me on the arm excuse me
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  Excuse me
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  You're not wearing a mask. I was like no
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  I'm not and she kind of was taken aback because we didn't speak in Russian. You know and she says you know
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  In you know I'm my English is you know I'm illiterate in two languages, and so I was
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  You know just as illiterate in English as I am in Russian, and I said no we're not wearing a mask
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  You know thank you
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  And she she goes well
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  Columbia you're you're you know this there's an ordinance, and you have to wear a mask
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  I said well. She said and you're going to you know you're gonna get other people sick
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  Like am I I said that that that presumes quite a few things
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  But you know I will choose whether I wear a mask or not she goes well you have to wear a mask
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  I said well, I'm not going to wear a mask. She says well. You're gonna. Get me. You know you're you're gonna
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  Get me sick. I psych not if you stayed over there
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  I said what happened to your six feet rule is gonna save me. You know what happened to that
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  I said here you are you come up, and you see me
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  If you weren't standing next to me
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  Presuming I was sick you wouldn't get sick. You know and then she got nasty and she said she said
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  first she used a
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  Regular swear word you know well that you're just a shitty person or something like that
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  You know that she said and then I was like oh well
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  You know that's pleasant because I disagree with you suddenly
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  I'm a shitty person and and my wife was going oh geez will you quit talking?
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  I was like look we're trying to order some steaks here
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  Just she goes well. I can't believe you effing people and then she stormed away. It's like well
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  Thank you. Have a nice day. Well. It's people like that
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  That just drive me crazy. You know you wouldn't have been
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  Sick if you didn't come up to see me you wouldn't
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  It's it's not your affair if I choose to speed down the highway
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  You know if you if you want to call the police and rat me out fine
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  If that lady wanted to call the police and go here's an idiot not wearing a mask
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  And I think you should come arrest him great
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  You know you want to report on other people. I wouldn't do that
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  That's not I'm not the type of person to do that nor do I think that anyone else should be you know
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  I'm see a crime report a crime blah blah blah. I'm not against that stuff, but I
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  Believe it's my personal right to
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  Break the law should I feel the urge you know if I'm willing to pay the consequences then
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  That's my affair not yours, okay, it could go all the way from that
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  to
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  people telling you or your
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  Relatives or whatever you know what you will do and what you won't and people that wish to expand
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  the power of government I am
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  Far more likely to be
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  Against that than for it, and I've told the story of my my
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  Missouri bar things many times and well one day. I'm gonna. I'm gonna do it again here on the morning program
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  I'm gonna do that too and that because I want to get into it
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  It's this type of stuff is important the most powerful and most corrupt
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  organization in the state of Missouri is the Missouri bar, and there's no doubt of that and
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  You know it's um it's a
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  Something that should at some point be dealt with right and
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  But it it won't be you know we all know who's in charge and who's taking
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  Taking over the state of Missouri and and why you know we know why and it's it's
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  In Missouri, it's a little bit worse than in other places
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  Because here there, this is where this is the birthplace of that
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  Nonpartisan if you will that's what they call it anyway
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  nonpartisan
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  Judicial selection right I would much prefer
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  Elections everywhere for judge and the reason they got rid of it years ago
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  according to their own publications anyway is
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  Because unions on the east and the west of
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  Missouri were
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  improperly
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  Influencing who would be?
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  judge
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  stuff like that
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  You would be judges in certain counties who is in charge and in the corrupt?
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  Nature allegedly of that or the undue influence that these other
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  Organizations had well if you take that logical
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  Leap, which at the time was probably true, and you address it by
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  Putting the power in another
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  Organization that will become corrupted over time which this judicial selection has
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  And the way if you unaware of how the program works, and they never tell you it's a they don't
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  You really have to go out and find out how this organization works. It's not that easy to
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  to get in for me information on it and nobody cares
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  You know it'd be different if more people cared we care about electing people
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  But on the on the judicial side, it's like oh, you know some big mystery. You know it's only for those who have
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  Practiced law who take the time to dig into how this is an alleged nonpartisan
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  Debacle and it's not it's it's absolutely partisan, and it is controlled by
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  The Missouri bar and those connected with the Missouri bar
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  You cannot become a judge in certain places without
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  getting through the Missouri bar
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  And today's show wasn't going to be about that. It's about government overreach in the first place and
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  government overreach in many many areas and
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  I'm
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  Yesterday was a big day. You know about about government overreach yesterday was
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  Something that I I do plan on doing a complete
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  Expose a of this type of thing sunshine law requests and all of these things that have been going on for a little while
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  and I do plan on digging into it, but there was a a
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  Hearing on it yesterday on some of these issues, and I'm really I don't want to until there's a
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  Decision
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  On what was happening the case was taken under advisement and everything was going out on how it was going to end up
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  Till that comes out. I don't want to you know talk about it too much on there, but I'm interested in
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  discussing with other people
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  anything regarding their
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  Judicial overreach okay, so and that's in any sphere that you would like to talk about it
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  Or if anybody is interested in talking about
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  Why the tendency exists for then it doesn't matter which which?
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  party
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  necessarily although I am of the belief because this is how it is is that I'm of the belief that
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  It's more prevalent on
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  The in the Democratic Party than it is in the Republican, but the Republicans are just as guilty of it
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  So let's not pretend that they're not it's a unit party anyway
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  But you know the higher up you go certainly on the national side and in Missouri. We have nothing to be proud of with how our
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  government is run with
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  The
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  How do we want to call it let's let's talk about
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  nepotism things like that
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  Although it may not be nepotism it might be
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  friendism you know you're the way you're the way government contracts get
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  You know get given to people the way
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  Positions of power are divvied up among you know donors and and the right
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  Thinking people and the way the path is laid out for
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  Your succession to the next rung of power if you're in the right
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  Groups or in the right
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  Families or in you don't have the right last name as it were you know these these things
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  definitely exist, and it's a fool who believes that they do not because they do and
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  it's
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  Certainly
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  worthy of our time to discuss
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  Okay, and so I only put that out there here
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  international flavor and damn radio because I do plan on taking that
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  That path and so that's my solicitation to you if you ever want to call in and talk about that you can almost always
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  Interrupt whatever my
• 14:52
  Train of thought no matter how slow that train is going whatever that train of thought is you can almost always interrupt it with
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  valuable stories about government overreach because I'm truly interested in that
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  a
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  Phenomenon
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  You want to call it?
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  Let's talk about where we are today. What is today today happens to be?
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  Thursday December the 4th, and I will be here until 9 a.m.
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  We have Jr
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  showing up between 2 and 4 for his really big shoe and
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  And 4 to 6 we have Josh butterfield in the search for solutions
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  my shows well all of our
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  Shows are put out on
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  On
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  Damn radio.com
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  forward slash
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  Podcast and you can listen to all prior shows and all the wonderful words of wisdom that are given to you
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  Each and every day here from damn radio and
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  My show is on damn radio.com forward slash podcast. It's also at
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  international flavor
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  calm where they are
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  Recorded and
• 16:17
  Stored for your listening pleasure at any time. Should you feel like listening to back shows?
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  and
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  I
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  wanted to
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  Continue today with
• 16:32
  Guy did a it's interesting to me because there seems to be
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  recently a decent amount of
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  Western authors
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  Discussing things now
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  In Russian newspaper like like RT RT is picking up some other people and Larry Johnson this here's another
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  article written by Larry Johnson if you listen to him, he's a former CIA analyst has a channel on on
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  YouTube I watch him every now and again on there, but he had a
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  An article that came out this morning on RT news in in Russia
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  I haven't published anything recently
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  There there's
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  And but I wanted to share his article with you as well as some commentary by Scott Besant and the genius I
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  say that
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  Definitely facetiously. I've never liked the guy. I've never liked his views. Can't tell you why I just I just haven't and I
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  disagree with nearly everything he says and it's pretty and and
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  Well, we'll get into that. But let's go to why according to Larry Johnson
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  what he is saying because it's one of my favorite topics and I talk about it quite a bit is
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  Why he his article is entitled why the Putin Witkoff meeting didn't bring any
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  breakthrough and
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  The subtitle to that is the ball is in
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  Trump's court and he is serious about achieving peace or he seems so
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  But there's a lot of work ahead
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  Now, I don't know if you guys you know, I'm probably a little on the nutty side, but when you
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  You know, I'm flipping through my youtube
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  Quite a bit and over the last couple of days
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  And I don't know if they're fake if they're AI if they're what they seem to be real
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  And I've seen a couple of them on telegram to you know, looking at some of the telegram channels
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  that and they say
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  underneath them that
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  Presently current events in
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  Pokrovsk in Mirna grad and the cities we talked about yesterday and they're showing like
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  entire
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  Battalions, you know large we're talking
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  several hundred
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  Soldiers standing Ukrainian soldiers standing in formation with their hands
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  Laced behind their heads in having surrendered or been captured or whatever
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  And it says that this is currently in
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  Pokrovsk and they show these large
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  formations hundreds of guys standing there
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  But the problem I have with it is there are
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  American and this is the part I don't get if it was really Russians that
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  Captured these Ukrainians is why I think it's either AI generated or just fakes
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  That if it was Russians, they wouldn't be speaking English or have an American soldier standing there with American
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  Flag on his shirt sleeve, you know in in Russia
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  so, you know if they were captured even in Pokrovsk, and so I don't know that that I
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  Believe what I've seen I'm gonna have to look into it some more
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  but but you I know that there's some there's been quite a few of
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  Surrenders in Pokrovsk over the last a little bit and that Russia has captured a rather large number in that area
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  But I don't necessarily just believe everything that that is put out
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  you know regarding that and but there seems to be a whole bunch of these for some reasons and
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  But I don't know. We'll look into that. But anyway, Larry Johnson the political analyst and commentator former CIA analyst and
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  Former member of the US State Department office of counterterrorism
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  His story is that
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  It's not too long. So I'll share it with you of what he says and why he says that there's no
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  No real breakthrough that came up because of the Whitcoft meeting. Well, I can tell you what I think it is. It's
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  You know the unrealistic
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  Beliefs of Europe and Ukraine
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  They can't just give up after they've for four years now pumped the fact that they're winning
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  You know when they're not and it's kind of hard for the truth to come and bite you in the ass sometimes
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  so that's that'd be my first statement on the deal and
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  You know covering up a corruption
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  Ukrainian Parliament is looking into it now and
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  Anyway, here's here's the article I've been babbling too much here
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  Here's the article u.s. President Trump's envoy Steve Whitcoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner
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  met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow
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  The five-hour session focused on reviving u.s. Peace proposal aimed at ending Russia's nearly four-year war in
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  Ukraine
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  This
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  Visit marked Whitcoff's sixth meeting with Putin in 2025 and Kushner's first in-person
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  involvement in these talks
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  This I disagree with you know like or dislike Kushner
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  I disagree with you know using family members for this kind of thing, but and I haven't I didn't like it
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  You know I was again. How do I want to say this?
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  I remember thinking very first hearing Kennedy, and then his brother is gonna be the Attorney General
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  I don't remember even liking that I just don't like it
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  It didn't pass my personal smell test as it were and I don't think this does I don't like this
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  What what what special position does he have other than he's the son-in-law of the president?
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  It's the same thing with Joe Biden and his son in my view
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  No, I could be wrong about that. I don't care you can think how you like about that
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  I just initially that's something I don't like what makes him so special that you know he gets to go meet Vladimir Putin
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  You know but does that mean if I was related to Trump I'd be sent over there
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  Nonsense, that's not how it works
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  Or not how it's supposed to work in my opinion the US delegation arrived directly from recent negotiations with Ukrainian
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  Officials in Miami and Paris where the peace plan was refined from 28 points to 19
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  To media's reporting the core agenda was the updated US peace framework which emphasizes
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  Potential ceasefire
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  That word just you know isn't gonna work in the first place and de facto border recognition
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  Involving Ukrainian concessions in Donbass region to meet Russia's territorial demands
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  security guarantees for Ukraine
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  Coordinated with European allies like France
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  Broader steps for implementation including frontline adjustment and restrictions on Ukraine's military capabilities
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  Putin reportedly agreed with some elements of the proposal, but reiterated Russia's non-negotiable positions
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  Including full control over its new territories and limits on NATO expansion
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  The US side pushed for Putin to soften these demands in exchange for ending hostilities
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  But no new wording or provisions were finalized
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  Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as useful and
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  noted productive exchanges on substantive issues
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  But emphasized that no compromise plan has been found yet and a lot of work remains
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  Russian state media and envoy Dmitry have called the session productive
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  but there were no agreements on specific concessions a
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  ceasefire timeline or a follow-up summit between Putin and Trump
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  potentially slated for April to June of
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  2026
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  So what was the real purpose of this meeting?
• 25:12
  Speaking to reporters in Bishkek the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan last Thursday, by the way
• 25:18
  Bishkek is one of my favorite cities. I love it over there. I'm a Kyrgyzstan that place is a very nice city and
• 25:26
  They have a big
• 25:28
  Chinese
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  Shopping
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  I don't know what you'd call it huge huge huge several miles of
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  flea market
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  Called their doi and
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  You can go over there and they have all these container shopping like everybody buys their own container of whatever
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  Suitcases lighting, you know, whatever and they just open them up close them up every night
• 25:54
  But all day they're open you can go do some fabulous shopping and get all these
• 25:59
  cool products for very cheaply anyway
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  In this so what was the purpose of meeting speaking reports in Bishkek Central Asian Republic Kyrgyzstan last Thursday?
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  Putin I shared you some shared some of his comments on that
• 26:13
  Putin explained how negotiations would be handled during the press conference
• 26:18
  Putin said that foreign minister Lavrov is
• 26:23
  responsible for handling contacts and negotiation on possible terms to end the war in Ukraine and
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  That he relies on Lavrov's reports from these talks while avoiding public discussion of specific proposals
• 26:38
  Which is how they always do it in his latest comments around u.s. Russia contacts on Ukraine
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  Putin indicated that the negotiation process is being conducted through professional channels
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  explicitly pointing to Lavrov and the foreign ministry as
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  Those leading the work on possible peace arrangements
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  He stressed that he is regularly briefed by Lavrov on these discussions
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  Including on u.s. Drafted peace ideas that Moscow says draw heavily on earlier Russian proposals
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  While Putin was meeting with Whitkoff and Kushner Lavrov held warm
• 27:18
  bilateral talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
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  Lavrov's
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  Absence from the Whitkoff Kushner meeting was a clear signal from Russia that the foundation for actual
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  Negotiations was still not in place
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  Putin's goal was to explain politely and firmly what Russia's fundamental positions are with respect to settling the war in Ukraine
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  I am certain as am I
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  That's Johnson. That's certain and I am too that Putin presented again
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  The same points that he laid out on June 14th
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  2024
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  The ball is in Trump's court
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  Whitkoff and Kushner's initial plan to meet Wednesday with Zelensky in Ireland was canceled
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  That's where Zelensky picked up his hundred and fifty million
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  They return instead directly to Washington where they beef Trump on prudent Putin's conditions
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  That must be agreed to before the actual negotiations with Lavrov and Rubio sitting down
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  Accompanied by their respective delegations can begin the fact that so far
• 28:27
  There have been no leaks to the press about the meeting with Putin
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  Tells me that Trump is serious about trying to get negotiations with Russia on track
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  This meeting is not the beginning of the end rather
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  I think it marks the end of the beginning. It is up to Trump to agree to Russia's terms and
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  Dispatch Rubio to make the deal with Lavrov now I
• 28:56
  Shared that with you because
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  Russians how do I want to put this so having been married to one I
• 29:06
  Can tell you that they
• 29:10
  Let's see, what are the words that are used to describe Americans
• 29:14
  biz pitch me now careless
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  knee for Malny informal
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  And Russians are more
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  Touch me
• 29:27
  Exact, you know, they're more they're more particular in general
• 29:32
  okay, no, I don't like to generalize about people, but
• 29:35
  they believe in
• 29:39
  Order
• 29:40
  They believe in things
• 29:43
  Just so especially when it comes to government and formality and being professional
• 29:48
  Years ago when I lived in Washington DC and I had opened a
• 29:53
  Russian gift shop in a place called Middleburg and
• 29:58
  I had this shop. I would go to New York and or Russia or wherever and pick up
• 30:05
  Interesting art artifacts art
• 30:09
  Bigorushki toys
• 30:11
  stuff like that lacquer boxes things like that and
• 30:16
  Those nesting dolls, you know that kind of thing and I was working with this guy
• 30:23
  Named Vadim and
• 30:25
  he was
• 30:27
  Russian guy former Soviet guy living in
• 30:31
  New York and
• 30:33
  We had done some
• 30:36
  some
• 30:37
  Work together, you know, we had worked together and I've always been
• 30:42
  I
• 30:43
  Don't know my mother you said everybody you say, you know, you're never serious about anything
• 30:47
  You're you you don't take things as seriously as you ought to and that's probably true
• 30:52
  and I was doing something with him and we're having lunch one day and he he
• 31:00
  Stopped me right in the middle of it
• 31:01
  And he said I've been meaning to tell you something for a while and I was like, what do you what were you gonna?
• 31:06
  Tell me he goes
• 31:08
  And the translation of it goes something like this he said Sam, I don't think you get it
• 31:15
  he said with the way, you know with with
• 31:19
  with business people
• 31:22
  You have to have a business relationship
• 31:27
  And I was like
• 31:28
  Okay, you know, how do we not have a business relationship?
• 31:32
  You know, we are we've been in we've been working together for you know, quite some time, you know year
• 31:40
  And he goes no, he said
• 31:43
  You know, I don't think you get it. We are not friends
• 31:48
  We should have with with business people. You need to have a more business like
• 31:54
  Relationship. Hang on a second. We're gonna take this call and
• 31:58
  See if I can
• 31:59
  Speak to this caller. Good morning caller. How may I help you?
• 32:04
  Morning, Samuel. Hey, Jr. How's life in the big city?
• 32:13
  Yes, damn cold
• 32:17
  Yep frozen a nipple off this morning that is not good
• 32:22
  Easy with two that's too bad. Yeah, that's true. How may I help you? How may I assist you this morning?
• 32:31
  Do you see any difference between the hunter Biden and Jared Kushner
• 32:37
  Definitely. Oh good. Okay
• 32:44
  Down to one word
• 32:48
  Well
• 32:49
  Biden's a criminal. Well, we don't know that Kushner's not a criminal. Well, let's see. Biden is an obvious criminal
• 33:03
  Well, that's true well I I still would go that way that guy that guy
• 33:09
  Certainly gets away with everything
• 33:11
  He's certainly been propped up by his father in his position and all of those things you could argue
• 33:17
  Similar from the the Kushner side by marriage or whatever and I don't know
• 33:21
  I don't know enough about him that my comment on that was to say that I just as a general principle
• 33:29
  I don't like that thing now
• 33:31
  some people would argue what you're probably going to which is to say that well should he be written off if he's
• 33:38
  extremely qualified
• 33:48
  Well
• 33:48
  you you you you I'm just saying that my
• 33:52
  predisposition is to not liking that type of thing and I don't think I said anything bad about
• 34:01
  Yeah
• 34:02
  Obviously Jared Kushner has value there. I would I would think it would not be a good thing to not
• 34:08
  Bring in somebody who's able to accomplish
• 34:11
  World-changing things simply because he's your in-law. That's not like Trump's got everybody's family working there. Well
• 34:19
  All I say is and I will say again is I have a general
• 34:24
  Predisposition against that type of thing you could say you could say that Hunter Biden should have been in a similar position
• 34:33
  You know, he went to law school. He was involved in a bunch of stuff. But but he's a freaking
• 34:41
  I
• 34:41
  drug crazed lunatic and
• 34:44
  to to put him in a position where the only reason that he was in
• 34:52
  That position is because of daddy that I am I am absolutely
• 34:58
  Against and I don't like it and all I say is the predisposition
• 35:02
  I believe I said the same thing about the Kennedy's, you know way back when when I first heard about in school
• 35:07
  it's like because I remember thinking oh, that's nice, you know, I suppose that's how it works if you're if you're related to the
• 35:15
  president
• 35:16
  much easier for you to find employment than
• 35:19
  Then it is for others because you have the ear of that person where others do not and and that's all I'm saying
• 35:29
  Well, I don't disagree with
• 35:31
  your default position being no
• 35:34
  But I think I didn't say no I just said it's negative
• 35:38
  It lean it leans that way
• 35:42
  Well, I was in the shower. I heard you comparing Hunter Biden the Jared Kushner and I I dropped my shampoo
• 35:50
  Well, I appreciate
• 35:52
  Well, I appreciate you correcting me not a problem
• 35:56
  I'm not correcting anybody. I'm just asking you a question. Do you do you not see the merit?
• 36:01
  Well, I definitely see the merit
• 36:04
  Accomplishments, especially in the Abraham Accords front. Well, there's some there's sometimes like in a corporate world in a corporate world
• 36:11
  You can't hire your sister, you know for the most part, you know, you're not unless it's a family-owned business and that's different
• 36:18
  That's a that's a family dynasty
• 36:20
  and that's what it's supposed to be right like if dad built the
• 36:24
  Corporation all of his sons are you know, Trump Trump Inc
• 36:28
  I don't give a crap running how you like put them all in there
• 36:31
  but that doesn't mean that's how the government should be run is is all I'm saying and
• 36:37
  But you go with what?
• 36:39
  Successful Trump's been highly successful and the Biden era was only because you're related. That's it
• 36:48
  well, you know, I
• 36:51
  was talking about it on my show how
• 36:54
  This is the nation's finally being run exactly how it's supposed to be. I don't know of any administration
• 36:59
  It's been run properly the way this one's being run. It's got to be run like a business. We have monthly freaking
• 37:05
  board slash
• 37:06
  Cabinet slash accountability meetings every month. That's exactly how it should be. Yeah
• 37:13
  I'm not
• 37:15
  Condemning Trump or how into things are being run except I question on the international level always
• 37:22
  You know that because I disagree with how it's been done for a hundred years and maybe it's not being
• 37:29
  Done quickly enough for me if you if it's if it's so if it's such a positive thing
• 37:35
  I and if it's so quickly done like like it was supposed to
• 37:40
  Like what we were sold I can I can get rid of this war. Well, you know, I could get rid of this war
• 37:46
  I know how to get rid of it. I've said it for for months and months how you get rid of it
• 37:50
  Quit giving us intelligence to Ukraine quit giving them money quit giving them weapons sanction them both and move on
• 37:58
  and stop it back out, but that hasn't happened and
• 38:02
  it doesn't appear it's ever gonna happen because of the deep state and the involvement in the money of all of this and
• 38:11
  the European
• 38:13
  Pipeline of all the
• 38:16
  Corruption that has gone on for you
• 38:18
  Runs it like a business. He's got people around him who can get shit done like Whitcoff like Kushner
• 38:25
  Right, that's the whole point is if you're gonna get it done, you're gonna get it done, right Trump's in a Trump is a
• 38:32
  Transactional guy. He's a
• 38:34
  Results driven guy. That's the only thing that matters to him. Is it good for the United States or not?
• 38:38
  That's not the test for any other president that I've ever seen. Is it good for the United States?
• 38:43
  Do you think Brandon asked himself? It was hiring Hunter?
• 38:50
  But that's probably way Trump was looking at it when he brought Kushner
• 38:53
  Is it good for the United States answer? Yes, go in there run the playboy
• 38:59
  I'd like to see the play result in something
• 39:07
  Agreed and I hope you're right and and I'm eager to see some result
• 39:13
  Well, because I can end this war in 24 hours I was sold that was I not
• 39:22
  Was that before or after they started talking about sending nukes over that was that was when Trump was running for office
• 39:29
  Yeah, and then next thing, you know brands talking about sending nukes over but we're getting off topic
• 39:34
  Well, that's true. I just don't automatically have a problem with fear Jared Kushner just because he's an in-law
• 39:41
  That's all I'm saying. I didn't say I have a problem with Jared Kushner
• 39:46
  Okay, I will not do that
• 39:51
  You can do whatever you want, you know brothers brothers sharpened brothers
• 39:56
  I'd like to I'd like to be quizzed especially by a man as sharp as you
• 40:00
  No, I was only asking a question what the main difference was between the two that you were comparing and basically categorizing in the same bucket
• 40:09
  well, I
• 40:10
  Also threw in the Kennedy's who arguably accomplished quite a bit, you know
• 40:15
  I wasn't around those days like you
• 40:23
  Well, I believe he you know, you had to surround he surrounded himself with people he trusted and so so I'm not
• 40:31
  I'm my default position is I'm against that kind of thing, you know, especially in government, you know in government
• 40:38
  I'm against it, you know in family. I don't give a crap in your in your family business
• 40:43
  It should be that way, especially if you're trying to create a dynasty, but government is not the place for dynasty
• 40:50
  And so my default position is against that sort of thing. We really don't have a major problem with nepotism
• 40:57
  In the executive branch at least that I know of no other than the examples. We've given here
• 41:03
  You're right about you're right about Bobby Kennedy that the adjective for that would be trust agreed
• 41:09
  Well, and and I I get why it was done
• 41:12
  I mean it was the right time for that kind of thing I suppose and I get it and look where it got them
• 41:16
  you know and
• 41:19
  Well, yeah, and and and so
• 41:23
  Well, well agreed and look where it's almost gotten Trump, you know with with going against the the same
• 41:31
  the same
• 41:33
  Forces, you know that that you and I can fairly
• 41:38
  Safely, you know that we don't have to for the most part worry about getting I mean we do wait
• 41:44
  you know some of the things we say about being anti anti government or and I whatever or
• 41:51
  against the deep state against this those are
• 41:54
  Not things that a lot of people take positions on in part because of the fact that it could be a life
• 42:03
  Decision, you know, can you stop by the studio today during my show for like five minutes to help me explain why I was
• 42:11
  Absent yesterday. I can do that. I'll be here
• 42:15
  Well, I'll be here at a time between
• 42:18
  Two and I mean, yeah two and four
• 42:26
  You can say whatever you like it's your show
• 42:30
  Regarding my absence yesterday. Ah, well, we shall discuss
• 42:35
  Please and thank you. Uh-huh. I will be there
• 42:38
  Yep, carry on like baggage
• 42:41
  See ya
• 42:42
  And we always appreciate our founder of the feast for dropping by
• 42:52
  Telephonically in the show we love that kind of thing and like having him so there you have it
• 42:58
  Um, I haven't picked any Christmas song and I was gonna go through the Christmas list for when I depart
• 43:06
  Today, but then I was thinking well, I'm not bumping up against another show coming at 9
• 43:11
  so I will just what I like to do is take the
• 43:16
  Songs after me and
• 43:19
  At least the first group of them and pick like the next half hour of music
• 43:24
  That is my music
• 43:29
  And
• 43:30
  Every and so now that the Christmas is thrown in there. There's a couple that I like to throw into there
• 43:38
  Myself and I think I will you know, I'll find some that I like to to put in
• 43:43
  So if you want to see since there's no show after me right away this morning, I'm gonna probably
• 43:49
  slide in some
• 43:52
  musical numbers that I get to
• 43:55
  choose
• 43:57
  Um, let's see
• 43:59
  here's what Scott Besson told us and
• 44:03
  This came out
• 44:05
  today as well
• 44:06
  he says
• 44:09
  Scott Besson has called the outlet the New York Times a
• 44:14
  fever swamp and
• 44:17
  Accuses it of publishing fake stories about President Trump's mental health now
• 44:23
  I'm no Besson fan. Jr. Might call and tell me that I should be but I'm no fan of this guy
• 44:28
  But I found this to be an interesting read in an interesting
• 44:35
  comment be by him because I happen to agree that our
• 44:41
  Our news sources some somewhat lack
• 44:47
  Truthfulness lack
• 44:50
  Professionalism and let's see according to Besson
• 44:54
  New York Times is no longer a credible newspaper
• 44:58
  He accuses the outlet of misleading and biased reporting on Trump's mental health
• 45:05
  during a live event
• 45:07
  hosted by the New York Times on Wednesday
• 45:11
  Besson called the newspaper a fever swamp and that said it contributed to one of the greatest scandals of all time
• 45:19
  by downplaying and covering up
• 45:22
  Former President Joe Biden's mental decline when he was in office
• 45:27
  he argued that the same outlet now published what he describes as
• 45:33
  100% fake stories about Trump
• 45:38
  Besson added that he no longer reads the Times well if he doesn't and how does he understand that it's 100% fact
• 45:45
  I mean fake the and warned that in 20 30 40 50 years
• 45:51
  It will not be regarded as the paper of record anymore
• 45:57
  He dismissed a recent article
• 45:59
  suggesting that Trump 79 has shown signs of fatigue
• 46:04
  Keep shorter public days and has appeared drowsy during midday meetings
• 46:10
  I appear drowsy during midday meetings and it's not reported at all
• 46:15
  The Treasury Secretary said the claims are false
• 46:18
  Joking that Trump only called him twice at 2 in the morning last week instead of three times
• 46:24
  Trump previously condemned the piece calling it a hit job and saying the outlet is an
• 46:31
  Enemy of the people he added that he recently had a perfect physical exam and a comprehensive
• 46:38
  Cognitive test which he aced now. I heard some of that
• 46:41
  I can't remember if it was I think it was on JR show that he was it
• 46:49
  Man Carolyn Leavitt that
• 46:51
  Released it like the next day
• 46:54
  Released the whole report today kicked it and then Trump made fun of some reporter and said who are you couldn't have passed it
• 47:02
  Like that. I thought it was pretty comical
• 47:04
  In recent months Trump has publicly attacked several news outlets launched a White House media bias tracker and
• 47:12
  engaged in high-profile disputes and
• 47:14
  multi-billion-dollar lawsuits with publications including New York Times and CBS
• 47:21
  Last month Trump threatened to sue BBC for a billion dollars
• 47:27
  accusing it of interfering in the 2024 presidential election by manipulating
• 47:31
  Public perception through a spliced edit of his January 6 2021 speech the telegraph
• 47:40
  Previously revealed that in a BBC panorama episode Trump's remarks were made nearly an hour apart and were combined and paired
• 47:49
  with
• 47:49
  protest footage filmed before Trump began speaking the scandal surrounding this episode led to the resignation of the
• 47:57
  Broadcasters director general and head of news. I
• 48:03
  like that stuff I
• 48:05
  Do like that Trump goes after people that go after him. I like that that he he doesn't put up with it
• 48:15
  Let's talk about Pornhub just because it's always fun to talk about Pornhub the ex-owner of Pornhub is
• 48:24
  looking to buy
• 48:26
  Russian oil giant
• 48:28
  Western assets this according to Reuters
• 48:32
  Luke oil is moving to divest its overseas holdings after u.s. Imposed sanctions on the company in October
• 48:40
  so
• 48:41
  former Pornhub owner burned bar Bergmayer is considering the purchase of sanctioned Russian oil major Luke oil
• 48:51
  international assets
• 48:52
  said Reuters yesterday
• 48:55
  Washington imposed sanctions on Luke oil in October
• 49:01
  And
• 49:02
  Luke oil has
• 49:04
  overseas holdings worth an estimated 22 billion and Luke oil accepted an offer from
• 49:12
  energy trader
• 49:13
  Gunvor group to buy its subsidiary holding all foreign assets although the deal fell through
• 49:19
  After the US Treasury accused Gunvor of having Kremlin ties
• 49:25
  So according to Reuters Bergmayer has now approached the Treasury about a potential acquisition
• 49:31
  Through his lawyer. He declined to comment on his intentions, but did signal interests
• 49:38
  obviously Luke oil
• 49:39
  International GMBH would be a great investment and anybody would be fortunate to have the privilege of owning those assets
• 49:48
  He told Reuters while refusing to specify which assets he sought or whether he had already approached the company
• 49:57
  US Treasury
• 49:58
  declined to come comment the Austrian financier is the former secretive majority owner of mind geek
• 50:06
  the parent company of
• 50:09
  The adult website Pornhub with his identity revealed by investigative reporting in 2021
• 50:16
  After years of offshore
• 50:18
  Structuring he sold his stake when the firm was acquired by Canadian private equity group in
• 50:25
  2023 he is estimated to have a net worth of about
• 50:29
  1.4 billion euro with investments in real estate
• 50:34
  agriculture and private ventures
• 50:37
  US Treasury last month gave companies interested in acquiring
• 50:41
  Luke oil's foreign assets clearance to begin talks
• 50:46
  Treasury approval is required because the firm is under US sanctions
• 50:53
  Meaning any transaction would be frozen without its license the clearance runs until December 13th
• 51:02
  Media reports say multiple buyers have signaled interest in these assets including Exxon Mobil and Chevron
• 51:10
  However, Luke oil has reportedly indicated it wants to sell them as a single package
• 51:16
  complicating talks for buyers only eyeing specific holdings Luke oil earlier said it is in discussions with several
• 51:24
  potential buyers
• 51:26
  Moscow condemns Western sanctions as politically motivated and illegal and warns that they will backfire
• 51:33
  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
• 51:35
  Said the situation with Luke oil highlights the illegal trade restrictions imposed by the u.s. That are
• 51:44
  unacceptable and hurt
• 51:47
  international trade
• 51:50
  so
• 51:51
  I've been paying quite a bit of attention. We're trying to
• 51:55
  to
• 51:56
  Pay attention to this asset theft, okay
• 51:59
  I don't like these things like the prior story that I just told you about sanctions and and the
• 52:07
  The
• 52:10
  Privatization
• 52:12
  westward if you will of
• 52:15
  Eastern based assets like the Luke oil
• 52:19
  assets that are held outside of Russia the 20
• 52:23
  you know the
• 52:25
  2022
• 52:27
  Sanctions whichever ones and the ones that were just announced and that went into effect in October
• 52:34
  Against Luke oil that they are putting out there that the 22 billion worth of assets that they are talking about
• 52:42
  that the West forces
• 52:45
  The East to
• 52:48
  Sell to somebody in the West
• 52:52
  Or they'll remain under say I mean what if China wanted to buy them you know is you have to have u.s.
• 53:00
  u.s.. Approval to
• 53:02
  Say that you're you get out of sanctions all right now. I
• 53:06
  Frankly, I don't like sanctions never have you know I just don't think they're a
• 53:10
  Accurate, and I think the long term they hurt more than they help so and so I I do talk about that
• 53:18
  But I also talk about
• 53:21
  The theft and and fairly frequently give you my opinion on
• 53:26
  the
• 53:28
  attempted theft of Russia's
• 53:31
  300 billion that is being held in
• 53:34
  Belgium and
• 53:37
  the continued
• 53:38
  discussions and
• 53:40
  attempts to steal this money
• 53:42
  You know by the West that they just want to steal and it's okay to steal
• 53:49
  Russia's money if you accuse them of something right
• 53:53
  you accuse Russia of being to blame for
• 54:00
  Ukraine right I disagree with that
• 54:04
  Foundation, but then you use that foundation that fundamental
• 54:10
  incorrect fact
• 54:13
  as an
• 54:14
  Excuse to steal from Russia, and that's what Ursula von der Leyen is
• 54:21
  is attempting to do and
• 54:24
  Belgium has rejected it, and I've been following this story, and I try to keep an eye on it
• 54:33
  For sure you know I'm
• 54:37
  Interested now, I think eventually they're gonna steal this money no matter how you slice it the money will be stolen
• 54:44
  It's just a question of how
• 54:46
  How it gets stolen, and they're not back. They want to steal this money, and they want to give it to Ukraine
• 54:55
  Whether it's through a loan or through whatever and they've had many different
• 54:59
  Iterations of how they take this money and provide it to Ukraine right so here's the latest
• 55:06
  Round in that this came out. I read a story about it last night. There's another article on it this morning and
• 55:13
  So I'm gonna share that with you
• 55:18
  Let's see
• 55:20
  Belgium has rejected
• 55:23
  European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen
• 55:27
  latest plan to seize I always feel like she ought to be like
• 55:32
  Schultz I
• 55:34
  Know nothing, and she's she's definitely like
• 55:38
  Sergeant Schultz, and she doesn't know much when you when you hear her talk the only one worse is that Kaija callous
• 55:46
  Well, no, there's quite a few of them in the in this unelected
• 55:51
  Commission that is taking over all of Europe and telling them what to do and so they're they're going to they're gonna get this
• 55:58
  money to figure out how to steal it and they will steal it and
• 56:02
  Belgium eventually will come around and as as
• 56:06
  As I'll explain here in a minute, but Belgium has rejected
• 56:10
  European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen's latest plan to seize
• 56:15
  Russia's immobilized central bank assets to arm Ukraine
• 56:22
  hmm
• 56:23
  country's foreign minister Belgium's
• 56:27
  Maxime Prevot has warned that the move would have potentially disastrous
• 56:33
  Consequences for his country now not that the European Commission president cares about that
• 56:41
  this
• 56:42
  Controversial week gave the block two choices to provide Kiev with 90 billion
• 56:49
  105 billion dollars that's 90 billion euro over the next two years
• 56:54
  one is
• 56:56
  EU level
• 56:58
  borrowing
• 56:59
  backed by the blocks budget
• 57:03
  Right, so they they are gonna give a loan for them. Another is the long debated
• 57:10
  reparations loan like they get to determine that Russia will give reparations to Ukraine
• 57:16
  Which would require?
• 57:19
  institutions holding
• 57:21
  immobilized Russian cash
• 57:23
  To transfer the funds to a new loan for Kiev
• 57:29
  Belgium which hosts most of the frozen assets through euro clear
• 57:35
  It's a bank depository
• 57:38
  Opposes the scheme and has done so and for a long time
• 57:42
  speaking to reporters on Wednesday
• 57:45
  Prevot
• 57:46
  reiterated that his country considers the loan scheme the worst of all the options for aiding Kiev and accuses the
• 57:54
  Commission of
• 57:56
  downplaying their concerns a
• 57:59
  Reparations loan scheme entails
• 58:03
  consequential
• 58:04
  economic financial and legal risk
• 58:07
  It is not acceptable to use the money and leave us Belgium alone facing the risks
• 58:16
  Prevot said
• 58:18
  Belgium has warned it would bear the brunt of any Russian legal action over the move and demand
• 58:25
  EU guarantees
• 58:27
  including
• 58:28
  liquidity for euro clear
• 58:30
  Mutual risk and burden sharing meaning that Belgium isn't gonna be the only people holding the bag
• 58:36
  When a loan doesn't get repaid and so he wants they want and have wanted for a long time
• 58:42
  they want any loan guaranteed by the EU and
• 58:47
  The EU doesn't want to do that because they want to steal it's it's better to steal
• 58:52
  Somebody else's money then take a loan out on your own
• 58:57
  So Prevot argued that joint EU debt is the easiest fastest most predictable
• 59:03
  Option that distributes the burden equally among member states
• 59:07
  Well a lot of member states are against it
• 59:10
  Analysts say joint borrowing is tricky because it has many critics due to its immediate impact on national
• 59:18
  treasuries and
• 59:19
  Unlike the loan scheme, which only needs a qualified majority
• 59:23
  It requires unanimity to pass
• 59:27
  EU ambassador so if you steal the money you only need a qualified majority
• 59:33
  But if you borrow the money it has to be a unanimous
• 59:38
  Deal so this is why I think they're gonna steal the money eventually they'll get to it
• 59:45
  and
• 59:45
  EU ambassadors were set to begin discussions on the options late Wednesday
• 59:52
  Aiming for a deal before the December 18 summit
• 59:56
  Belgium is not alone in criticizing the loan scheme. I'm not against you know, I'm not I
• 1:00:04
  Am one of the people criticizing the loan scheme as well
• 1:00:08
  media reports claim that the European Central Bank
• 1:00:11
  Refused to support this while the u.s. Signals it wants the EU to return
• 1:00:18
  Russia's frozen funds once a peace deal with Ukraine is signed well
• 1:00:24
  If that's true now that when when Trump had a proposal that he was putting out some of the things he was saying that you
• 1:00:32
  100 million
• 1:00:33
  100 billion of the 300 billion should be pledged into a fund with the u.s.
• 1:00:42
  Matching it to build to rebuild Ukraine through investment purposes and the profits come back to America
• 1:00:49
  That's some of the business stuff that JR was talking about a little bit earlier
• 1:00:52
  I can't say that I would be is against that because that's not just taking the money and handing it to Ukraine
• 1:01:00
  Why would Ukraine get the money in the first place?
• 1:01:04
  You could argue that Ukraine forced this war
• 1:01:08
  Anyway along with the Western
• 1:01:13
  Curators of
• 1:01:14
  or or masters who have been pumping this agenda for years, you know to create a
• 1:01:23
  Russian boogeyman that doesn't exist
• 1:01:25
  So the u.s.
• 1:01:27
  Wants the money to go back to Russia after the war you know after a peace deal is signed they get the money back
• 1:01:34
  Russia of course describes the scheme as theft because that's what it is and
• 1:01:40
  Warns that tapping its funds would damage further damage in my opinion
• 1:01:46
  confidence in Western financial systems and
• 1:01:49
  And
• 1:01:51
  Remember Russia has promised to retaliate by seizing assets that they control of Western
• 1:02:01
  Banks of Western funds that are held in Russia
• 1:02:06
  You know because that could that would be done, too
• 1:02:10
  So there you have it you remember be talking about the shipping
• 1:02:15
  attacks by Ukraine on
• 1:02:19
  Russian shadow fleet that took place in Turkish waters yesterday
• 1:02:23
  Well Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fedan
• 1:02:28
  Pointed at the widening geography of the Ukraine crisis
• 1:02:32
  They're worried about this the recent naval drone attract attacks on vessels off Turkey's Black Sea coast
• 1:02:39
  carried out by Ukraine
• 1:02:41
  Could make the region inaccessible
• 1:02:44
  to trade and
• 1:02:45
  Human transport said Turkish Foreign Minister in the past week
• 1:02:51
  Explosives laden sea drones have struck two oil tankers and a sunflower oil tanker in
• 1:02:59
  Turkish territorial water according to the Ministry of Transport and
• 1:03:05
  Infrastructure's General Directorate of Maritime Affairs
• 1:03:09
  Here's his quote it is turning the Black Sea into an area closed to trade and
• 1:03:15
  inaccessible to human transport due to the danger it possesses
• 1:03:22
  Very frightening he said
• 1:03:24
  Foreign Minister warned that the geography of Ukraine conflict is increasingly spreading
• 1:03:30
  while
• 1:03:31
  methods being used are also becoming widespread
• 1:03:35
  You know they're attacking
• 1:03:38
  things the incidents reported by Ankara involved two
• 1:03:43
  Gambian flag tankers the Kairos and the Viraat which I told you about
• 1:03:47
  Struck off Turkey's coast while en route to Novorossiysk
• 1:03:51
  several Western media outlets citing Ukrainian state official
• 1:03:56
  Reported that the assault was carried out as part of a joint operation
• 1:04:01
  Concern you know involving the SBU Security Service in
• 1:04:06
  Ukraine and the
• 1:04:08
  Kiev's Navy both tankers had been previously sanctioned by Western states for transporting oil
• 1:04:17
  Russia
• 1:04:19
  Has denied operating a shadow fleet earlier this week
• 1:04:24
  Turkish Transport Ministry said the Russian tanker
• 1:04:29
  Medvolga carrying sunflower oil was attacked about 80 miles off the country's coast en route to Georgia
• 1:04:36
  Now Kiev denies attacking that tanker
• 1:04:40
  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that
• 1:04:45
  attacks on commercial ships in the exclusive economic zone are unacceptable and
• 1:04:50
  warned against a very worrying
• 1:04:53
  escalation
• 1:04:55
  For Russian Foreign Ministry and denounces these raids as terrorist attacks and
• 1:05:01
  Peskov Dimitri also
• 1:05:04
  accuses Ukraine of encroaching on Turkish sovereignty and
• 1:05:09
  Putin calls it piracy like I let you know
• 1:05:13
  The other day when I first told you about these stories and Putin's interview on these particular questions
• 1:05:20
  he calls it piracy and
• 1:05:22
  Frankly I happen to agree with him, and you know you don't attack
• 1:05:27
  peaceful
• 1:05:28
  vessels whether you agree with
• 1:05:31
  What they're shipping or not so I?
• 1:05:36
  Don't think that's
• 1:05:38
  Where the where the war should be a going that's what I don't that's what I think
• 1:05:45
  So there you have it well, there's no no more exciting
• 1:05:51
  Article than the than the porn hub wasn't that exciting to be covered. You know covering
• 1:05:59
  Let's see but remember when Trump made an offer that Russia could rejoin the
• 1:06:07
  The g8 and we go back to having a g8 instead of a g7
• 1:06:14
  well
• 1:06:16
  The story today says Putin is not interested
• 1:06:21
  Russia has no plans to return to the Western dominated
• 1:06:26
  G7 saying that its significance continues to dwindle
• 1:06:31
  He was in India the other day in an interview with India on Thursday
• 1:06:36
  Published ahead of his visit to the country the Russian leader noted that many g7 economies now lag behind
• 1:06:44
  Emerging economies in purchasing power parity terms, and I've explained that to you before how that works it basically
• 1:06:52
  takes your GDP and
• 1:06:55
  equates it or
• 1:06:58
  Gives it kind of a
• 1:07:01
  balancing scale on what it will purchase for example if you are in
• 1:07:09
  Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan you can buy a
• 1:07:14
  Vehicle brand-new in the neighborhood of
• 1:07:17
  Six to ten thousand dollars where it costs you at least two to three times that amount to buy the same
• 1:07:24
  Vehicle or same sort of vehicle in a Western economy and so they equate
• 1:07:34
  using PPP purchasing power parity they equate GDP based upon that and so a
• 1:07:41
  person making
• 1:07:44
  Basically
• 1:07:47
  Let's say for example just to make the addition easier that in the United States you could live comfortably on
• 1:07:54
  30,000 a year in
• 1:07:57
  Some of these other countries you could buy the exact same things that you could live on here for 30,000 for 10,000
• 1:08:05
  And that's quite a few places in the world where a lot of people are in fact a lot of retirees are doing that now
• 1:08:12
  Where they get their social security and move out of the country because it's much cheaper to live in
• 1:08:20
  Uruguay you know Paraguay
• 1:08:22
  Colombia you know some beautiful South American country you can go and live there quite well
• 1:08:29
  on your
• 1:08:31
  Social security alone you know and live quite well because you're making you're making
• 1:08:36
  Triple what a person there would make earning only your social security so you can go there and live quite well
• 1:08:44
  More than anybody else jars got these TVs up, and they keep on showing they've done it three times today these
• 1:08:51
  narco traffic boats
• 1:08:53
  alleged because there's no proof that they are but we keep blowing them up and
• 1:08:59
  Very much against that I don't even like to see it, but I don't want to mess with his TV, so I won't change it
• 1:09:06
  But they keep on going over there, and I look over there all the time, but anyway
• 1:09:11
  I'm telling you you know that part of the story because Russia doesn't want to rejoin the g7 and the reason that was given is
• 1:09:20
  Because he notes that many g7 economies actually are behind
• 1:09:27
  other
• 1:09:30
  Developing economies especially when you equate it in purchasing power parity terms
• 1:09:36
  And that the group share of global economy as a whole has been steadily shrinking anyway
• 1:09:42
  He conceded that the g7 which includes here the members US UK France Germany
• 1:09:50
  Italy Canada and Japan
• 1:09:53
  remains an important platform, but all seven of those as a as a
• 1:10:00
  What do you call it as a portion of the global?
• 1:10:05
  Trade or global GDP have been declining over the years
• 1:10:10
  People work there make decisions discuss things and God bless them said Putin
• 1:10:17
  according to Putin he isn't seeking to rejoin this group and did not discuss the issue with
• 1:10:23
  Steve Whitcoff and Jared Kushner
• 1:10:25
  During the talks about Ukraine earlier in the week
• 1:10:28
  Putin noted that he stopped attending the group summits even before the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014 and
• 1:10:38
  Moscow has been excluded
• 1:10:40
  from the
• 1:10:41
  the
• 1:10:43
  at that time g8 after Crimea
• 1:10:46
  Succeeded from Ukraine and voted to join Russia in a public referendum and and Russia took it out in June
• 1:10:53
  Trump suggested that kicking Russia out of the g8 was a big mistake
• 1:10:58
  I think it was too
• 1:11:00
  And argued that keeping Moscow on the inside
• 1:11:04
  Might have prevented the escalation in Ukraine
• 1:11:08
  in 2022 and at the time Dmitry Peskov agreed
• 1:11:12
  It was a big mistake then to exclude Russia
• 1:11:16
  but noted that the club had lost practical significance and
• 1:11:21
  Since its exclusion Russia has focused on strengthening cooperation with other international platforms
• 1:11:28
  You know BRICS being you know a primary one the Shanghai Cooperation Organization another one
• 1:11:37
  Rick Russia India China is also a big deal, which I've talked about before
• 1:11:43
  BRICS
• 1:11:44
  currently accounts for
• 1:11:45
  46% of the world's population and
• 1:11:50
  36% of global GDP and that's
• 1:11:55
  Western based
• 1:11:58
  financial institutions that
• 1:12:01
  That have come up with those numbers
• 1:12:05
  so
• 1:12:08
  Let's see
• 1:12:12
  There were
• 1:12:16
  Ukrainian
• 1:12:17
  Parliament and I may have told you a little bit about this yesterday because a hot of a talked about it
• 1:12:24
  Maria's a hot of a
• 1:12:26
  Talked about this in an address that she had the other day and
• 1:12:31
  Ukrainian Parliament has passed a new law
• 1:12:35
  Against Russian, okay, so get here. Here's here's how important it is to Ukrainian Parliament passed an amendment on
• 1:12:44
  Wednesday
• 1:12:45
  Stripping Russian of its protection under the European Charter for regional or minority languages
• 1:12:53
  Over the past decade Ukraine has steadily restricted the use of Russian in public life
• 1:13:01
  limiting or barring its use in media
• 1:13:05
  education
• 1:13:06
  Government services and in the service industry, but it remains the first and primary language for many Ukrainians
• 1:13:15
  Especially in the east of the country and in large cities
• 1:13:19
  We are removing Russian from the scope of protection
• 1:13:24
  Culture minister Tatiana Berezhnaya said in a statement following the vote in the Verkhovna Rada
• 1:13:31
  She noted that
• 1:13:33
  264 MPs supported the measure
• 1:13:37
  Berezhnaya argued that an earlier Ukrainian translation of
• 1:13:42
  the Charter
• 1:13:43
  incorrectly interpreted the term
• 1:13:45
  Minority treating it as an ethnicity
• 1:13:49
  Rather than a small language community, so we fixed it. She said now the Ukrainian translation
• 1:13:58
  Corresponds to the authentic content of the Charter. She wrote adding that the decision will
• 1:14:04
  Strengthen Ukrainian as a state language
• 1:14:07
  adding to the comment on the amendment
• 1:14:11
  A Russian foreign ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said Kiev's policy of forced
• 1:14:18
  Derucification has increasingly faltered and has had the opposite effect
• 1:14:24
  two-thirds of students in Kiev don't speak Ukrainian in class and
• 1:14:31
  82% don't speak it during breaks. She added citing
• 1:14:37
  statistics published by
• 1:14:39
  Ukrainian ombudsman language spokesman in other words last month despite all the bans
• 1:14:46
  fines bullying
• 1:14:48
  harassment
• 1:14:50
  persecution
• 1:14:51
  Persecution people don't want to forget their native Russian language and still want to speak it Zakharova said
• 1:14:59
  arguing that the trend is so obvious as to be impossible to hide and
• 1:15:06
  Moscow has long condemned Ukraine's
• 1:15:11
  Language policies and one of Russia's key peace demands has always been
• 1:15:16
  You know to resolve the conflict
• 1:15:19
  that Kiev repeal laws that violate the human rights of Russian speakers in
• 1:15:25
  the
• 1:15:26
  country
• 1:15:28
  So I spent a little bit of time going through these encirclements in Pokrovsk and Myrnograd
• 1:15:36
  Couple other areas Kupyansk. I think was it was in a cauldron too, and they're talking about
• 1:15:42
  How Ukraine is steadily losing?
• 1:15:47
  losing
• 1:15:49
  Territory in the east and Russia is continuing to
• 1:15:54
  Seize more might be going a little slow. Well
• 1:15:58
  report yesterday said that
• 1:16:01
  And this is from build build put the German newspaper
• 1:16:06
  put this out says that Russian forces have cut off supply lines to soldiers trapped in Dmitrov and
• 1:16:14
  So five Ukrainian brigades are encircled in the town of Dmitrov, which is
• 1:16:20
  Myrnograd
• 1:16:21
  Known as it in Ukraine
• 1:16:24
  after Russian forces captured the nearby city of Krasnoarmeysk Pokrovsk, I told you about that a
• 1:16:31
  Ukrainian soldier on the ground told the German outlet build
• 1:16:36
  Russian army has cut off all supply routes
• 1:16:40
  To the 1,000 to 2,000 Ukrainian troops trapped in the city said build on Tuesday
• 1:16:47
  To be honest the situation is critical the Ukrainian servicemen said
• 1:16:53
  Adding that his group is only being supplied through drone deliveries
• 1:16:58
  he added that Russian soldiers have taken control of
• 1:17:02
  Almost every single building between Dmitrov and the parts of the Donbass still controlled by the Ukrainian military
• 1:17:11
  The soldier criticized the actions of his commanders
• 1:17:15
  Which he said deployed many units to the area but failed to retain control over supply routes
• 1:17:22
  leading to the city
• 1:17:24
  Russian president
• 1:17:26
  Putin said on Tuesday that Kiev is trying to regain control over Krasnoarmeysk to relieve Dmitrov
• 1:17:35
  At any cost, you know remember me telling you about that in Putin's presser
• 1:17:41
  The other day. He said they keep throwing these ill-equipped troops in
• 1:17:47
  just to meet lines to
• 1:17:49
  and they're they're dying by the
• 1:17:52
  by the hundreds
• 1:17:53
  In a failed effort, and it will be a failed effort to retake either Krasnoarmeysk or
• 1:18:02
  you know, that's um
• 1:18:06
  Pokrovsk or Dmitrov, which is Mirna got
• 1:18:10
  the Krasnoarmeysk Dmitrov a glum conglomeration along with several other small towns and settlements is
• 1:18:17
  the second largest urban cluster
• 1:18:20
  Still under partial Ukrainian control and it's been an area of intense fighting over the past months
• 1:18:27
  Culminating in Russian troops seizing final control over Krasnoarmeysk Pokrovsk on Monday
• 1:18:35
  Russian Defense Ministry publishes videos of Russian soldiers clearing buildings in the city and
• 1:18:42
  Zelensky has denied it continues to deny the encirclement of troops in the area and accuses Moscow
• 1:18:50
  Exaggerating its gains. He downplays a battlefield losses
• 1:18:55
  While, you know having his hand out begging for more money
• 1:18:59
  So in October Putin said that over 10,000 Ukrainian troops had been surrounded in that area
• 1:19:06
  as well as in the city of Kupyansk in Kharkov and
• 1:19:12
  Those cities
• 1:19:14
  Kupyansk isn't isn't a hundred percent under Russian control and neither is Dmitrov or Mirnagrad
• 1:19:21
  but it's getting closer and closer every day and
• 1:19:25
  Pokrovsk Krasnoarmeysk is under
• 1:19:33
  Under
• 1:19:35
  You know continued efforts to seize it. I want to share one more thing with you about
• 1:19:42
  Yermak and
• 1:19:45
  The is so I I think that the last person left in Ukraine after
• 1:19:54
  Yermak and his departure is
• 1:19:58
  Zelensky okay, and
• 1:20:01
  I've spoken enough about this over the last
• 1:20:04
  Couple of weeks in this corruption this enormous corruption going on in Ukraine
• 1:20:10
  that it's hard to
• 1:20:13
  Not know where this where this is ultimately going to lead
• 1:20:19
  I've heard quite a few comments, and I happen to
• 1:20:23
  to agree with this some of the
• 1:20:27
  Commentary that I've heard that says that he will be the Zelensky himself will be
• 1:20:34
  Forced out by the end of the year
• 1:20:37
  It
• 1:20:39
  Appears to be that that is where this is leading
• 1:20:44
  There was one Ukrainian channel that said they expect it in the next couple of weeks, and that was about three four days ago
• 1:20:52
  and
• 1:20:54
  But there's a lot there's quite a few more who say in the next month
• 1:20:59
  I'm in that category might not be you know by the end of the year
• 1:21:03
  But I believe that's where we are headed is that is it the old Z monster will be gone and it
• 1:21:12
  Probably be
• 1:21:15
  The
• 1:21:17
  Ambassador to England who was sent over there
• 1:21:22
  But let I want to share this story about your ear mocks fall
• 1:21:27
  Might not be this is by a guy named Vitaly room shin
• 1:21:31
  Who's a political analyst and?
• 1:21:35
  what he
• 1:21:36
  Says
• 1:21:38
  Zelensky may be next but it might not quite be time just yet
• 1:21:43
  And I like that you know this is an an interesting perspective as well
• 1:21:48
  He says the corruption scandal that has dominated Ukrainian politics for weeks, and I've talked about
• 1:21:54
  Quite a bit has finally reached its first major end point under mounting domestic pressure an
• 1:22:04
  International force
• 1:22:06
  Vladimir Zelensky dismissed Andre Yermak his chief of staff
• 1:22:12
  closest confidant and the
• 1:22:14
  second most powerful man in the country for years Yermak was widely viewed as the
• 1:22:21
  Gray cardinal of the Ukraine politics
• 1:22:25
  together with businessman to Timur Mindy he oversaw a sprawling
• 1:22:31
  corruption network in the energy and defense sectors
• 1:22:36
  operating under the
• 1:22:38
  nicknames of Alibaba and Allah Boris
• 1:22:42
  Borisovna
• 1:22:43
  The significance of your mocks removal is difficult to overstate if anything of consequence
• 1:22:51
  Happened in Ukraine after February 22
• 1:22:56
  2022 Yermak was usually at the center of it. He was
• 1:23:02
  Zelensky's principal
• 1:23:05
  Political engineer
• 1:23:07
  building a vertical of power that effectively sidelined the speaker of the vehicle of Narada and
• 1:23:15
  Concentrated authority inside the president's office
• 1:23:18
  It was Yermak who placed loyalists throughout government ministries
• 1:23:24
  security bodies and regional administrations
• 1:23:28
  They organized and orchestrated
• 1:23:31
  campaigns against political rivals
• 1:23:34
  Who disrupted elements of local self-government and who led the quiet purge of any figure seen as a threat?
• 1:23:42
  From mayor's to Armed Forces
• 1:23:45
  Commander the former one who I was just saying might be the next president
• 1:23:50
  Valeriy Zaluzhny, that's the ambassador to England in other words
• 1:23:56
  Yermak worked tirelessly to ensure every major process in Ukraine ran through him and his
• 1:24:04
  boss and he came very close to succeeding
• 1:24:08
  had the Zermatt
• 1:24:11
  Tandem
• 1:24:12
  Succeeded in its summer offensive against the anti-corruption bodies Naboo and Sapo
• 1:24:19
  Zelensky might well have emerged as a kind of autocrat
• 1:24:25
  But the former comedian backed away at a decisive moment a hesitation that ultimately sealed his friends
• 1:24:33
  fate
• 1:24:35
  the consequences for Zelensky are
• 1:24:38
  Severe first he has lost control over the vertical power that Yermak spent years
• 1:24:46
  Constructing it was Yermak not
• 1:24:50
  Zelensky who coordinated the government the security bloc the intelligence agencies through a network of
• 1:24:57
  personal loyalists with him gone no
• 1:25:00
  obvious successor
• 1:25:02
  Exists who can replicate that degree of influence the machinery may keep running for a time
• 1:25:09
  But the operator is gone
• 1:25:12
  second
• 1:25:13
  Zelensky's authority within his own camp has been badly damaged
• 1:25:18
  the speed with which he abandoned Yermak
• 1:25:23
  after only one search of his apartment sent shockwaves through the elite if
• 1:25:29
  Zelensky could shed his closest ally without a fight. What does that signal to everyone else?
• 1:25:37
  Ukrainian media is already reporting that members of the leaders team are seeking new patrons
• 1:25:45
  Hmm wonders illusion. He's one of them
• 1:25:49
  Loyalty and Kiv has always been
• 1:25:52
  Transactional now it is openly fragile
• 1:25:56
  This weakening
• 1:25:58
  inevitability affects
• 1:26:00
  Negotiations with Washington where Yermak played a central role
• 1:26:04
  Some commentators argue that his departure will soften Ukraine stance
• 1:26:10
  Given that his successor
• 1:26:14
  Rustem Umarov is seen as more flexible, but that misreads the dynamic Ukraine's
• 1:26:21
  Uncompromising
• 1:26:22
  Position on peace talks has always been Zelensky's own
• 1:26:27
  Yermak merely articulated it whoever replaces him is going to deliver the same message
• 1:26:34
  The only force that could alter Kiv's negotiating posture is not a personnel change
• 1:26:41
  But a deepening political crisis and that crisis is already well underway
• 1:26:48
  Sensing vulnerability Ukraine
• 1:26:51
  Opposition has launched a coordinated attack
• 1:26:54
  the parties of Piotr Poroshenko and Yulia Timoshenko have
• 1:26:59
  jointly issued an ultimatum
• 1:27:01
  Demanding the dissolution of the cabinet and allocation of ministerial post to opposition factions
• 1:27:06
  Meanwhile internal dissent is growing inside Zelensky's servant of the party people
• 1:27:11
  Several MPs have openly complained about how Zelensky and Yermak sidelined the Rada anyway
• 1:27:17
  some are now considering leaving the fag shit faction and
• 1:27:23
  if even for defect
• 1:27:25
  Zelensky no longer has a majority
• 1:27:27
  He would no longer be able to pass laws including the budget without seeking support
• 1:27:32
  From those hostile to him that opens the door to political blackmail
• 1:27:38
  This is why in Kiev an earlier scenario discussed as far back as March is being revived in
• 1:27:47
  this scenario
• 1:27:48
  Zelensky is
• 1:27:50
  Pressured into resigning and Timoshenko
• 1:27:53
  Appointed the speaker of the Rada beforehand becomes the acting president and in that role
• 1:27:58
  She signs a peace agreement with Russia ends the war on terms shaped by political necessity rather than a battlefield
• 1:28:05
  Fantasy how likely is this? It's not imminent, but no longer
• 1:28:11
  Unthinkable for now Zelensky retains the backing of his Western European
• 1:28:16
  Sponsors who are not ready for the conflict to end and are determined to prevent a total collapse of Ukraine
• 1:28:22
  It is plausible that Zelensky sacrificed Yermak precisely to secure
• 1:28:28
  discontinued support remember he just got money 150 million from
• 1:28:34
  Ireland and he was just promised another 500 million from Norway. It is plausible that Zelensky sacrificed
• 1:28:42
  Yermak just because of this judging by recent comments Emmanuel Macron
• 1:28:47
  Publicly is defending Zelensky events questions of corruption. So that strategy might actually have worked
• 1:28:55
  Hmm the answer will emerge soon enough
• 1:28:59
  One thing is already clear the fall of Yermak is not simply a corruption scam
• 1:29:04
  Scandal, it's the first major fracture in a system
• 1:29:08
  Zelensky built a system that relied heavily on one man's power
• 1:29:14
  with that shaken Ukraine is entering a new phase of internal struggle and as always when politics in Kiev are
• 1:29:22
  Turbulent the consequences rarely stay confined to its own borders
• 1:29:27
  Brew some tea things are about to get even more
• 1:29:32
  interesting I
• 1:29:34
  Appreciate you being on the show today. My name is Samuel trap. This is international flavor
• 1:29:39
  I'll be here every morning from
• 1:29:42
  730 to 9
• 1:29:45
  Given my commentary on a wide variety of stuff
• 1:29:50
  In the meantime, enjoy your freezing cold day and stay safe out there
• 1:29:56
  JR's on at 2 o'clock. Have a listen